First monopile successfully installed at 795 MW offshore wind farm in the Netherlands

The OranjeWind project has successfully installed the first monopile in the Dutch North Sea, Netherlands. This marks a significant milestone for the offshore wind project, which is a joint venture between RWE and TotalEnergies. Installation of all 53 monopiles is expected to be completed by early 2027.

The monopile was loaded out from Sif’s terminal at the Maasvlakte near Rotterdam to the offshore site, 53 kilometres off the coast of IJmuiden. It was transported and installed by Jan De Nul’s vessel Les Alizés, which is part of a long-term charter between Jan De Nul and RWE. Les Alizés is an innovative floating vessel that uses dynamic positioning to ensure correct placement of the monopiles. It uses a 5,000-tonne crane that reaches 160 metres at full height to lift the monopiles so they can be driven into the seabed by a hydraulic impact hammer. The Les Alizés is a so-called Ultra-Low Emissions Vessel, a notation for ships that go beyond existing MARPOL requirements for lowering emissions, fitting advanced air emission control technology onboard. The Les Alizés is equipped with systems that significantly reduce NOx and fine particle emissions.

OranjeWind offshore wind farm is a joint venture project by RWE and TotalEnergies. The 795 MW wind farm will be located 53 kilometers from the Dutch coast. With the first monopiles installed, construction of the project has officially started. Installation of the inter-array cables will take place at the end of 2026. The 53 turbines will be installed over the course of 2027 and the wind farm is expected to be fully commissioned in 2028. It will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of one million Dutch households each year.