Van Oord Installs Final 15 MW Turbine at Ecowende

The final turbine has been installed at the 760 MW Ecowende offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea, completing installation of all 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW units.

The last turbine was installed on 30 October 2026 around 53 kilometres off IJmuiden in the Hollandse Kust West wind farm zone. Installation of the first turbine began on 30 May, completing the full 52-unit programme in five months.

Vestas supplied the 15 MW turbines and is responsible for installation and commissioning, while Van Oord transported the components from Eemshaven to the offshore site using its new installation vessel Boreas.

Van Oord had previously completed the wind farm’s foundation installation, inter-array cable works and scour protection, giving the contractor a role across several major offshore construction phases.

“The successful deployment of our new offshore installation vessel Boreas shows what the vessel can achieve in this complex installation campaign,” said Jan Willem Elleswijk, Project Director at Van Oord.

Ecowende generated first power in July and is expected to become fully operational by the end of 2026. Once complete, the wind farm is expected to provide electricity equivalent to around 3% of current Dutch demand.

The project is being developed by Ecowende, a joint venture between Shell, Eneco and Chubu, with a strong focus on testing measures intended to reduce the impact of offshore wind development on marine and bird life.

These include increased turbine spacing along a designated bird corridor, higher nacelle positions on selected turbines, adaptive curtailment and AI-based radar systems for bird and bat monitoring.

Seven turbines also feature one rotor blade painted red as part of a study into whether greater visual contrast can reduce bird collisions.

Below the waterline, Ecowende is testing several biodiversity measures including modified scour protection, water-exchange holes in selected monopiles, tree-reef structures at cable crossings and oyster nurseries.

“With the final turbine in place, the offshore wind park is largely complete, but the real learning begins now,” said Tjalling de Bruin, CEO of Ecowende.