DEME to handle XXL foundations at Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm

Parkwind has awarded DEME Offshore with an Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) contract for the foundations at the Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea.

The next-generation XXL monopiles will be the largest-ever installed in Europe with a weight of around 2,000 tonnes each, DEME said.

Manufactured by Steelwind in Germany, the 28 XXL monopile foundations will be about 100 metres long. One of the 28 foundations will support the offshore substation.

The monopiles for the wind turbines will not be equipped with common transition pieces but will have a direct connection with the turbine tower.

DEME Offshore will deploy the DP3 offshore installation vessel Orion for this project. Orion will be equipped with a tailor-made, motion compensated gripper system able to handle foundations of up to 2,500 tonnes.

”Being awarded such a pioneering project highlights how Parkwind has confidence in the game-changing DP3 offshore installation vessel ‘Orion’,” Bas Nekeman, Business Unit Director DEME Offshore, said.

”DEME Offshore is delighted that it will be the first company to install these XXL monopiles, as the offshore wind industry takes the next step forward. With ‘Orion’ we will be strongly positioned to offer solutions for the installation of larger foundations and turbines, and large-scale wind farm projects such as Arcadis Ost 1, delivering energy at lowers costs.”

Production of the monopile foundations will start in 2021, while the installation campaign is planned to start before the summer of 2022.

”The signing of the foundation EPCI contract with DEME Offshore is another important step towards the realisation of Arcadis Ost I,” Clement Helbig de Balzac, Arcadis Ost I Project Manager, said.

”The project is pushing the limits of what has been done to date in offshore wind in terms of foundation technology. Therefore, it was key for the project’s success to select a strong and highly experienced EPCI contractor such as DEME Offshore, deploying state of the art installation vessels and technology.”

The 257 MW Arcadis Ost 1 wind farm is located some 19 kilometres northeast of the island of Rügen in the coastal waters of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

It will comprise 27 MHI Vestas V174-9.5MW wind turbines installed using the floating turbine installation method, an industry’s first.

The wind farm is scheduled to be fully commissioned in 2023.