Dutch marine contractor Van Oord has selected Cadeler A/S to assist in executing another wind farm project off the coast of the Netherlands. The Hollandse Kust Noord project consisting of 69 11-MW turbines is scheduled for completion in 2023.
The Hollandse Kust Noord Wind Farm Site is being developed and operated by CrossWind, a joint venture between Shell and Eneco. The wind farm is located approximately 18 km off the west coast of the Netherlands, close to the town of Egmond aan Zee.
Cadeler is set to assist with transporting and installing part of the planned 69 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 11 MW. Upon completion, the capacity of the wind farm will reach 759 MW, generating at least 3.3 TWh per year, which covers the demand for more than one million Dutch households or equals to 2.8 per cent of the Dutch electricity demand.
Last year, Cadeler announced another contract set to be executed in 2022-2023 off the Dutch coast at the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm. This project consists of 140 of the same 11-MW Siemens-Gamesa turbines that are also due to be installed at the Hollandse Kust Noord windfarm project. The learnings gathered during the installation process connected to the Hollandse Kust Zuid project helped Cadeler land the new contract.
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Wind Osprey
Cadeler will deploy its offshore installation vessel Wind Osprey for the project. According to Cadeler, the project comes at an opportune time, as it will take place right after the completion of the Hollandse Kust Zuid project and before the replacement of the main crane on Wind Osprey.
The crane replacement on Wind Osprey is scheduled to be initiated in Q4/2023 with completion in Q1/2024. A similar upgrade will be carried out at the same time on board its sister vessel Wind Orca. With a lifting capacity of 1600 metric tonnes at a radius of 40 metres and the main hook at 159 metres above the main deck, the new heavy lift crane offers a substantial capacity upgrade compared to the existing crane with 1200 metric tonnes lifting capacity at a radius of 31 metres. The new cranes will make the vessels suitable for installing next generation wind turbines.
Also read: Cadeler gives go ahead for Wind Orca’s crane upgrade
‘It is very important to have our vessels constantly employed, as, needless to say, idle time means loss of revenue for Cadeler, so for us to be able to schedule this project in what looks like a sweet spot between two activities is the perfect outcome,’ says Cadeler’s CEO, Mikkel Gleerup. ‘We are therefore very pleased to be able to offer the services of Wind Osprey to assist Van Oord with this project, right before the vessel is scheduled to replace the main crane, so the timing is perfect for both our customer and us.’
