Dutch offshore installation firm Van Oord has secured a contract from RWE for the transport and installation of monopile foundations for the Nordseecluster offshore wind project in Germany.
This project will be the first project for the Van Oord’s brand-new offshore installation vessel Boreas, which is currently under construction.
Van Oord’s scope includes the installation of 104 extended monopiles as well as the installation of the scour protection. In 2025, 44 monopiles are planned for installation in 2025 and the remaining 60 monopiles in 2027.
The Boreas will be the largest offshore installation vessel of its kind, purpose-built for the transport and installation of the next generation foundations and turbines for offshore wind farms.
The jack-up vessel, with a crane capacity of more than 3,000 tonnes, can install up to 20 MW wind turbines at sea. It has the capability to fully operate on methanol, drastically reducing its carbon footprint of over 78%.
The 1.6 GW wind farm cluster is expected to generate enough renewable energy to supply the equivalent of 1,600,000 German households.
RWE made the final investment decision for the project earlier in May. The project will be implemented in two phases – Nordseecluster A and B. Nordseecluster A has a total capacity of 660 MW, while the Nordseecluster B will add a further 900 MW of capacity.