Posted on July 22, 2024
On behalf of Ørsted, Jan De Nul is currently installing 107 monopile foundations for the Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 wind farms in the German North Sea. To maximally protect marine life during the works, a new low-noise installation technology was tested on three monopiles for Gode Wind 3 last winter. The technology developed by Ørsted proved successful: it significantly lowers noise levels and potentially paves the way for the next generation of monopile foundations.
The groundbreaking technology of Ørsted, Danish leader in offshore renewables, consists of a patented jetting technology attached to the monopile. This lowers the resistance of the surrounding sandy soil, allowing the foundation to sink into the seabed. The installation method thus completely removes the need for conventional impact hammering.
In close collaboration with Ørsted and Aarsleff, we successfully carried out the installation method on three monopiles on Gode Wind 3 last winter, with promising results. With a reduction of 34 decibels compared to the most commonly used installation method, noise levels were reduced by over 99%. Following other noise mitigation technologies applied on Gode Wind 3, such as bubble curtains and the Hydro Sound Damper net, Ørsted takes protecting marine life one step further. Something we are happy to contribute our knowledge and skills to.
So far, our heavy-lift vessel Les Alizés installed around 75% of the monopiles for Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3. When operational, these wind farms will generate enough electricity to power 1.2 million German households.
