Ecowende, the joint venture of Shell and Eneco, has selected Netherlands-based offshore construction company Van Oord for the construction of its 760MW Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI on the Dutch coast of the North Sea.

Van Oord has been tasked with transporting and installing the foundations for the wind farm.

Furthermore, it will design, procure and lay the connecting cables between the wind turbines and handle the transportation and installation of the wind turbines at sea. A contract signing is expected to take place later this year.

Ecowende selected Van Oord with the aim of developing the wind farm to have a net-positive impact in the near future. The two companies aim to build wind farms in harmony with nature while achieving 70GW of offshore wind energy by 2050.

Besides reducing the negative impacts of an offshore wind farm, there is also a need to have a net positive impact. To meet this objective, Ecowende plans to implement several innovations, including large-scale ecological mitigation and stimulation measures.

Van Oord Offshore Energy managing director Arnoud Kuis said: “The fact that Van Oord has been involved in the construction of all the wind farms in the Dutch North Sea means we have built up a wealth of knowledge over the years. We are happy to be working with the Ecowende consortium to bring all our experience on innovative, ecological, nature-enhancing measures to bear for Hollandse Kust West.”

Ecowende won the tender to build the offshore wind farm, which will be located 53km off the IJmuiden coast, last December.

With its 760MW of installed capacity, the wind farm will be able to generate 3% of the country’s current electricity demand. Shell and Eneco have already taken the final investment decision on the project, which is expected to be commissioned in 2026.