Van Oord and Vestas Install Final Turbine at 760 MW Ecowende Offshore Wind Farm

Van Oord and Vestas have completed the installation of the final turbine at the Ecowende offshore wind farm in the Hollandse Kust (west) wind farm zone, Lot VI, approximately 53km off IJmuiden in the Netherlands.

Van Oord and Vestas have finalised turbine installation at the 760 MW Ecowende offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea, bringing the project into its concluding construction stage ahead of its anticipated commissioning by the end of 2026. Van Oord offshore installation vessel Boreas transported the Vestas V236-15.0MW turbines from Eemshaven to the wind farm site, located around 53 km off IJmuiden within the Hollandse Kust (west) wind farm zone, Lot VI.

Vestas is overseeing the supply, installation and commissioning of the wind turbines, while Van Oord has completed the installation of foundations, inter-array cables and scour protection. Developed by Ecowende, a joint venture between Shell, Eneco and Chubu, the offshore wind farm is projected to meet approximately 3% of the Netherlands’ current electricity demand. The project began generating electricity in July 2026.

Ecowende has integrated a range of environmental measures into the wind farm’s design to minimise its effects on wildlife. These include establishing a bird corridor between the coastline and the Natura 2000 Brown Ridge area, increasing spacing between turbines, and positioning nacelles at greater heights to give seabirds more clearance beneath the rotor blades. Additional measures include adaptive turbine curtailment and radar technology equipped with AI-powered species recognition to help mitigate risks to birds and bats. A single rotor blade on each of seven turbines has been painted red to make the blades more visible to birds, with ongoing research assessing whether the approach can help reduce collision risks.

Measures to enhance underwater biodiversity include modified scour protection designs, additional water-exchange openings in four monopile foundations to create shelter for fish, and artificial tree reefs made from old fruit trees at four cable crossings. The project is also incorporating oyster nurseries to help restore European flat oyster populations in the Dutch North Sea.