Jan De Nul has confirmed its involvement in the 1,080MW Inch Cape offshore wind project off the coast of Scotland, securing a deal to transport and install the monopile foundations for the project. Inch Cape, which recently reached financial close, is now progressing into construction.
The project will see Jan De Nul deploy its heavy-lift vessel, Les Alizes, to transport and install the monopile foundations off the Angus coast in Scotland. The Les Alizes has been specially customized for offshore energy infrastructure installation, and this will be its third consecutive assignment. The vessel's previous projects include installing 107 monopile foundations at German wind farms Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3, with plans to install 72 monopiles for RWE's Thor offshore wind farm in Denmark this spring.
David Debaere, Manager Offshore Energy Structures at Jan De Nul, commented, “Looking at the journey of Les Alizes, it is clear that Jan De Nul is playing an important role in Europe's transition to renewable energy. From a wind farm in Germany to another in Denmark, and one in Scotland — and this is just the beginning. But it is not only about the vessels, it is just as much about our skilled co-workers who operate them. They are the ones carrying out the demanding work at sea. They are the heroes of the energy transition.”
Inch Cape, a joint venture between ESB and Red Rock Renewables, will be the UK's first offshore wind farm to install 15 MW Vestas turbines. The project will see the transport and installation of monopile foundations, which can reach up to 110 meters in length and weigh as much as 2,500 tonnes. The monopiles will be loaded at a newly constructed quayside at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland, with installation scheduled to begin in late 2025.
John Hill, Project Director for Inch Cape Offshore, said, “There are few vessels globally with the capability to install the XXL monopiles we have chosen for Inch Cape, so we are delighted to have Jan De Nul's Les Alizes as part of our construction fleet. Our installation programme tied in nicely with a gap in the vessel's planned activity with RWE. We are appreciative of this unique industry collaboration.”
Jon Darling, Head of Construction Delivery at RWE, added, “As one of the world's leading offshore wind developers and operators, we are aware that our long-term charter vessels from Jan De Nul may not always be fully utilised on our projects. We are highly sensitive to the pressures on the global offshore industry, created by the limited availability of these highly capable construction vessels. We are pleased to make the vessel available for this unique and highly collaborative initiative, supporting Inch Cape's continued drive to deliver new UK energy infrastructure and to evolve towards net zero.
