Van Oord has completed the rock installation at the Hollandse Kust West VI offshore wind farm, developed by Ecowende, a partnership between Shell, Eneco, and Chubu Electric Power.
Using vessels Bravenes and Nordnes, Van Oord installed 300,000 tonnes of rock to protect turbine foundations and cable infrastructure. The scour protection began in September 2025.
The project included stabilizing cable protection systems and installing eco-rock berms with rocks up to 450 kg, the largest used by a subsea rock installation vessel, announced Van Oord on social media.
“This achievement sets a new benchmark for infrastructure protection and marine biodiversity enhancement,” the company stated.
The nature-inclusive scour protection design features ecological bays and habitat-forming crevices to support marine life, part of the broader biodiversity initiative for the Hollandse Kust West project. Van Oord is also responsible for transporting and installing foundations, wind turbines, and inter-array cables.
The 760 MW wind farm, located 53 km off the coast near IJmuiden, recently delivered its first power to the Dutch grid after installing its first turbine.
Hollandse Kust West VI, claimed to be the most ecological wind farm, will feature 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines, with seven fitted with a red blade to test collision risk reduction for birds. Additional measures include a bird corridor, wider turbine spacing, elevated nacelles, adaptive curtailment, and AI-assisted radar monitoring.
This offshore wind farm is set to be operational by the end of 2026, supplying approximately 3% of the Netherlands’ electricity demand.
Original Story at www.offshorewind.biz