Ecowende, the offshore wind farm project of Shell, Eneco and Chubu, last Saturday installed its first wind turbine, approximately 53 kilometres off the coast of IJmuiden. The installation was carried out by Van Oord using the advanced offshore installation vessel Boreas. It marks a historic milestone in the energy transition: a wind farm that sets a new ecological benchmark for offshore wind development in the North Sea.
The installation comprises a total of 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW wind turbines, each rated at 15 megawatts. At full operational capacity, the Ecowende wind farm will deliver 760 MW to the Dutch electricity grid — sufficient to sustainably supply approximately 3 percent of current national electricity demand.
Red Turbine Blades: Innovation to Protect Seabirds
One of the most distinctive innovations at Ecowende is the use of red turbine blades. At the initiative of the wind farm developer, Vestas is supplying seven turbines each fitted with a single, red-painted blade. The objective is to investigate whether the contrasting colour improves rotor visibility for birds, thereby reducing collision risk.
The principle behind the red blade is the creation of a so-called ‘smear’ effect – a visible colour contrast during rotation that birds can perceive more readily than conventional grey rotors. In the colour selection process, red was ultimately chosen over black and fluorescent alternatives based on its superior performance in terms of heat resistance and blade longevity.
Building in Harmony with Nature
Further mitigation measures include a dedicated bird corridor between the coastline and the Natura 2000 area De Bruine Bank, with wider turbine spacing and elevated nacelles to provide seabirds with greater clearance beneath the rotor sweep. Adaptive curtailment systems and radar-based monitoring with AI-assisted species recognition are also being deployed to minimise collision risk for birds and bats.
To assess the effectiveness of these measures, Ecowende is applying a range of monitoring techniques, including bird radars, thermal and daylight cameras, and impact sensors.
Offshore Installation Vessel Boreas: Largest and Most Sustainable of Its Class
Turbine installation is being carried out by Vestas, which manufactures the turbine components and oversees their transport and pre-assembly at the port of Eemshaven. Van Oord then transports the assembled turbines offshore aboard the Boreas. Once on location, Vestas completes the installation and commissioning — drawing on Van Oord’s expertise and the Boreas’s main crane. In addition, Van Oord is responsible for the transport and installation of all 52 monopile foundations, the inter-array cable installation, and the placement of scour protection on the seabed.
The flagship of this operation is the Boreas, Van Oord’s largest and most sustainable vessel in its class. The Boreas is equipped with a 3,310-tonne crane and has been purpose-built for the latest generation of ultra-large offshore wind turbines.
Fotocredit: Ecowende en Flying Focus
