The last turbine at Vattenfall's Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm has been successfully installed, marking the culmination of nearly two years of construction. The turbines will now undergo a commissioning and testing phase over the next few months.
Expected to be inaugurated later this year, Hollandse Kust Zuid holds significance as the world's first subsidy-free offshore wind farm. Ian Bremner, the Project Director, expressed his pride in achieving this significant milestone. He emphasized the collective effort of partners, suppliers, and contractors who played pivotal roles in making this project a reality.
Cadeler, in collaboration with Siemens Gamesa, has provided crucial support in transporting and installing all 139 offshore wind turbines using their wind installation vessel, Wind Osprey. This venture posed a unique engineering challenge as it involved deploying the Siemens Gamesa 11MW turbines on a commercial scale for the first time. Jacob Heinricy Jensen, Chief Operations Officer at Cadeler, commended the teamwork and engineering expertise that contributed to the successful completion of this record-breaking wind farm project.
Although the original plan called for 140 turbines, one of the foundations suffered damage last year following a collision with the bulk carrier Julietta D, which had lost control during a storm and veered into the wind farm. After careful evaluation and consultation with partners, contractors, and authorities, it was determined that the foundation was too severely damaged to support a turbine. Consequently, the damaged foundation will be removed in 2024, and future plans for the location remain undecided.
The completion of the final turbine installation brings the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm one step closer to its official launch. Once operational, it is poised to make a significant contribution to the green energy transition.
