The OranjeWind project has successfully installed the first monopile in the Dutch North Sea. 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.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind: “RWE and TotalEnergies are delivering one of the largest wind farms in the Dutch North Sea. After years of planning, the project has become a reality with the installation of the first monopile. This is a huge success for the team and its supply chain partners. Now we take the first steps towards providing renewable energy to the Netherlands with OranjeWind.”
Olivier Jouny, Senior Vice President Renewables TotalEnergies: “The successful installation of the first monopile is an important milestone for OranjeWind and for TotalEnergies’ ambition to build an integrated power business in Europe. Together with RWE, we are developing a major offshore wind project that will contribute to the Netherlands’ renewable electricity supply while supporting our own decarbonisation roadmap through the production of green hydrogen for our refineries in Northern Europe. OranjeWind is a concrete example of how TotalEnergies is combining scale, innovation and partnerships to deliver the energy transition.”
The foundations are transition piece-less monopiles. This means the turbines are bolted directly to the monopile’s top flange, without a transition piece. This design significantly reduces the amount of steel used. Secondary steel components such as Main Access Platform, Internal Cassette and boat landings are mounted directly onto the monopile in a separate installation campaign. Each monopile will be about 90 metres long and 8 metres in diameter.
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.
To protect marine life from the sounds of piling, the project is applying a so-called bubble curtain, where compressed air is pumped through a hose to create a wall of bubbles around the piling site which absorb and reflect sound waves. The project will also conduct noise measurements outside the bubble curtain to verify and ensure that sound levels remain within the applicable limits.
About OranjeWind
OranjeWind offshore wind farm is a joint venture project by RWE and TotalEnergies. The 795 megawatt (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.
Pictures of the monopile installation for media use (credit: RWE) are available at the RWE Media Centre.
Further information about OranjeWind can be found here.
