Jan De Nul is allowed to build the largest wind farm in the entire world

The wind farm will be located in the North Sea, off the northeastern coast of England. With a capacity of 3.6 gigawatts, it will be able to power more than 6 million British homes. Energy production is the world’s largest for an offshore wind farm.

The park will be established in three phases. Jan de Nul has already won the contracts for the first two stages (95 wind turbines each), and the East Flemish Group has also won the contract for the third stage, it announced Monday. The third stage is good for the transportation and installation of 87 other wind turbines. However, its construction has not yet been completed: we have to wait for the final investment decision at the end of this year.

The installation of the first offshore wind turbines is scheduled for 2022. The first phase of the wind farm is scheduled to start in 2023. The installation of the turbines for the third stage is currently scheduled to begin in 2025.

Jan De Nul agreed with clients that the value of the deal would not be revealed this time either, says group spokeswoman Helen Schlink. You mentioned “a very big contract”. Not just because of the number of turbines, but also because of their capacity: The wind turbines at Dogger Bank Wind Farm will generate 13 megawatts and phase C will generate up to 14 megawatts.

This is much more than the current installations of only 12 MW and this is also an exceptional amount. Because of this, it is difficult to compare nodes with orders whose value is known. Due to the exceptional size of the turbines, Jan De Nul cannot work with existing mounting vessels. That’s why Voltaire was built.

This is a ship with a lifting capacity of more than 3000 tons. It will enter service in 2022. The Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the first mission of the “lift ship,” a vessel equipped with four shafts that allow it to rise above the water’s surface to create a stable working environment. With piles at the maximum depth of the water and the establishment of the main crane, Voltaire reaches the height of the Eiffel Tower.

Jan De Nul will not disclose the revenue he generates from setting up wind farms, which are even active in the United States and Taiwan. It divides its revenue (€1.9 billion in 2020) only into dredging and marine activities (77%), civil engineering (21%) and environmental projects (2%).