Van Oord has completed the installation of scour protection and rock berms for Ecowende’s Hollandse Kust West offshore wind farm, concluding a major phase of offshore construction.

The Bravenes and Nordnes installed around 300,000 tonnes of rock to protect wind turbine foundations and critical cable infrastructure.

The completed works included nature-inclusive eco-rock berms and the stabilisation of all cable protection systems. Rocks weighing up to 450 kg were placed during the campaign. According to Van Oord, these were the largest individual rock units installed by a vessel using a stone releasing installation system.

Van Oord and Ecowende jointly developed the scour protection concept to combine infrastructure protection with habitat creation.

The design includes ecological bays, habitat-forming crevices and different rock sizes. These features are intended to provide shelter for marine life around the turbine foundations while maintaining the long-term stability of the offshore infrastructure.

The rock installation campaign forms part of Van Oord’s wider contract for Hollandse Kust West. The contract also covers the transport and installation of foundations and wind turbines, along with the installation of inter-array cables.

Turbine installation is continuing, while Hollandse Kust West recently started supplying its first electricity to the grid.