Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 Offshore wind farms, Germany

In 2021, Ørsted and Jan De Nul Group announced the signing of the final contract for the transport and installation of 107 monopile foundations and one offshore substation topside at the Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 Offshore Wind Farms. This contract is the first assignment for Les Alizés, the next generation offshore installation vessel of Jan De Nul Group.

In total Les Alizés will transport and install 106 wind turbine monopile foundations and one offshore substation foundation, including associated topside for the offshore wind farms Gode Wind 3 (253 MW) and Borkum Riffgrund 3 (913 MW) in the German North Sea, developed by the Danish leader in offshore renewables Ørsted.

Both wind farms will use 11-MW Siemens Gamesa turbines. The Borkum Riffgrund 3 more particularly will be located adjacent to Ørsted's existing offshore wind farms Borkum Riffgrund 1 and Borkum Riffgrund 2. Gode Wind 3 will be close to Ørsted's Gode Wind 1 and 2.

Ørsted will use monopiles without transition piece. Before installation, scour protection will be installed at all 107 locations.

Once completed, these wind farms will generate enough electricity to power approx. 1.2 million German households every year.

Les Alizés is the response to global trends within the offshore wind energy sector

Les Alizés is a Next-Gen offshore installation vessel. Thanks to her dimensions and impressive lifting and loading capacities, Les Alizés will be able to load out, transport and install multiple units of the largest and heaviest wind turbine foundations. In addition, as a crane vessel that floats, it will be able to install heavier and larger foundations into deeper waters and in more challenging seabed conditions.

The vessel is fitted with a highly advanced exhaust filtering system by means of a Selective Catalytic Reduction system and a Diesel Particulate Filter, making it the very first seagoing installation vessel of its kind to be an Ultra-Low Emission vessel (ULEv), moreover Stage V-certified.

This vessel investment is a response to the global trend within the offshore wind energy sector to design and install increasingly larger wind turbines.