Over the next couple of months, the turbines will be commissioned and tested, and Hollandse Kust Zuid is expected to be inaugurated later this year, Vattenfall, the developer of the project, said.

Final blade being installed at Hollandse Kust Zuid. Source: Vattenfall/Matthias Ibeler

”We are extremely proud to have reached this milestone. The installation of this last turbine is an important moment for the project, not just for us, but also for our partners and all the suppliers and contractors who helped us get here. Hollandse Kust Zuid is the first subsidy-free offshore wind farm in the world and we are looking forward to delivering this project,” Project Director Ian Bremner said.

Cadeler has been supporting Siemens Gamesa with the transportation and installation of all 139 offshore wind turbines using the wind installation vessel, Wind Osprey.

”When we initially planned for this project, it was the first time ever the Siemens Gamesa 11MW turbines were to be installed on a commercial scale. This of course required skillful engineering work and a good collaboration with our partners at Siemens Gamesa and Vattenfall. We are proud to have played a vital role in the realization of this impressive and record-breaking wind farm project that will contribute to the green transition,” said Jacob Heinricy Jensen, Chief Operations Officer at Cadeler.

The total number of turbines is 139, one less than the 140 that were planned for. Last year, one of the foundations was damaged after a collision with bulk carrier Julietta D, after it became rudderless during a storm and drifted through the wind farm.

In alignment with partners, contractors, and authorities it was decided that the foundation was damaged too much to install a turbine and will not be replaced. The damaged foundation will be removed in 2024. It has not been decided yet what will happen with the location once the foundation has been removed, Vattenfall said.

”Today we are celebrating the final installation of our largest ever offshore project. Its nacelles were manufactured in our factory in Cuxhaven (Germany) and the blades came from Aalborg (Denmark). This project underlines once again how the wind industry can provide Europe with energy security through domestic, clean and competitive sources,” said David Molenaar, Siemens Gamesa’s Managing Director in the Netherlands.