Dutch offshore installation services company Van Oord has installed the first of 50 monopile foundations at Iberdrola's Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm in Germany.
The installation strategy for the foundations is based on the feeder concept, which involves floating the foundations to Van Oord's heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen at the offshore installation site.
The monopiles are being transported to the offshore wind farm site from EEW in Rostock, Germany.
Once they have arrived, the Svanen lifts them upright. After precise positioning by the gripper, pile driving begins.
Van Oord already started transportation of the transition pieces from the port of Aviles in Spain to the Van Oord site at the port of Mukran in German beginning of March. The transition pieces are scheduled to be installed in the second quarter.
In addition to the transport and installation of the wind turbine foundations, Van Oord is responsible for the supply, transport and installation of approximately 70 kilometers of inter-array cables.
Later this year, Van Oord’s cable-laying vessel Nexus and trencher Dig-It will be deployed to install and bury the inter-array cables.
Once commissioned in 2024, Baltic Eagle, being built around 30 km northeast of the island of Rügen, will deliver an overall capacity of 476 MW.