The monopile was installed by Cadeler’s A-class vessel the Wind Ally. Credit: Cadeler.

Danish offshore wind installation company Cadeler has installed the first fully commissioned monopile foundation at Ørsted’s 2.9GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm, located 120km off the Norfolk coast in the UK.

This marks a significant milestone in developing one of the largest offshore wind projects globally.

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Upon completion, the wind farm is expected to supply renewable energy to more than 3.3 million homes in the UK.

Cadeler is managing the complete transport and installation (T&I) operations, covering a total of 197 offshore monopile foundations, at the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm.

The completion of this first monopile followed extensive planning and coordination among various teams, both onshore and offshore.

Cadeler’s A-class vessel, the Wind Ally, installed the monopile, while the Wind Orca managed the placement of secondary steel.

Service operation vessel the ESVAGT FROUDE, operated by ESVAGT, performed the full commissioning, with post-installation work completed by Boston Energy.

Cadeler will utilise three offshore wind installation vessels including the newly built Wind Ally throughout the Hornsea 3 project to handle the large-scale monopile foundations.

Cadeler project director Bradley Scott said: “This milestone is not just about the first structure in the ground – it represents an important step as we continue expanding into full-scope foundation transport and installation.

“Delivering projects at this scale requires close collaboration, detailed planning and strong execution across every phase of the operation.

“We are proud to support Ørsted on Hornsea 3 and grateful to all teams offshore and onshore whose commitment and collaboration have contributed to reaching this point safely and successfully.”

In September last year, Cadeler signed a contract with Ocean Winds for the T&I of offshore wind turbines for the 390MW BC-Wind farm in the Polish Baltic Sea.