First monopile successfully installed at OranjeWind offshore wind farm
16/10/2026
The OranjeWind project has successfully installed the first monopile in the Dutch North Sea. This marks a significant milestone for the offshore wind project, which is a joint venture between RWE and TotalEnergies. Installation of all 53 monopiles is expected to be completed by early 2027.Sven Utermöhlen, Chief Executive Officer, RWE Offshore Wind, said: “RWE and TotalEnergies are delivering one of the largest wind farms in the Dutch North Sea. After years of planning, the project has become a reality with the installation of the first monopile. This is a huge success for the team and its supply chain partners. Now we take the first steps towards providing renewable energy to the Netherlands with OranjeWind.”
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| Once fully operational in early 2028, the 795 MW OranjeWind offshore wind farm will be able to generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of one million Dutch households Image courtesy of RWE |
Olivier Jouny, Senior Vice President, Renewables, TotalEnergies, commented: “The successful installation of the first monopile is an important milestone for OranjeWind and for TotalEnergies’ ambition to build an integrated power business in Europe. Together with RWE, we are developing a major offshore wind project that will contribute to the Netherlands’ renewable electricity supply while supporting our own decarbonisation roadmap through the production of green hydrogen for our refineries in Northern Europe. OranjeWind is a concrete example of how TotalEnergies is combining scale, innovation and partnerships to deliver the energy transition.”
The foundations are transition piece-less monopiles. This means the turbines are bolted directly to the monopile’s top flange, without a transition piece.
This design significantly reduces the amount of steel used. Secondary steel components such as the main access platform, internal cassette and boat landings are mounted directly onto the monopile in a separate installation campaign. Each monopile will be about 90 m long and 8 m in diameter.
The monopile was loaded out from Sif’s terminal at the Maasvlakte near Rotterdam to the offshore site, 53 km off the coast of IJmuiden. It was transported and installed by Jan De Nul’s vessel Les Alizés, which is part of a long-term charter between Jan De Nul and RWE. Les Alizés is an innovative floating vessel that uses dynamic positioning to ensure correct placement of the monopiles. It uses a 5000 tonne crane that reaches 160 m at full height to lift the monopiles so they can be driven into the seabed by a hydraulic impact hammer. Les Alizés is a so-called ultra-low emissions vessel, a notation for ships that go beyond existing MARPOL requirements for lowering emissions, fitting advanced air emission control technology on board. Les Alizés is equipped with systems that significantly reduce NOx and fine particle emissions.
To protect marine life from the sounds of piling, the project is applying a so-called bubble curtain, where compressed air is pumped through a hose to create a wall of bubbles around the piling site that absorb and reflect sound waves. The project will also conduct noise measurements outside the bubble curtain to verify and ensure that sound levels remain within the applicable limits.
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