IQIP, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW) and Vattenfall have announced the first full-scale offshore monopile installation using EQ-Piling technology at the 1GW Dreekant offshore wind farm in Germany.
Developed by IQIP, EQ-Piling is a noise mitigation technology designed for the installation of large offshore monopiles.
DEME, under a contract from IQIP, will carry out the installation of the offshore wind foundation technology using the Orion vessel, once the final permit is secured.
EnBW is leading the development and ownership of the Dreekant site.
Vattenfall is participating as a consortium partner and will receive exclusive data from the installation to assist in assessing the technology for future offshore wind developments.
The operation is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
This project follows an initial inshore demonstration at Maasvlakte 2 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
By moving the EQ-Piling method offshore at the Dreekant project, the companies aim to validate the technology’s use for large-scale wind foundation installation. They also plan to assess its potential for reduced noise and CO₂ emissions compared to existing methods.
The consortium will collect and study detailed data from the installation to evaluate performance under operational offshore conditions.
IQIP CEO Robert Diepenbroek said: “We have strong confidence in the technology’s potential and commercial application. With the full‑scale monopile installation, we will demonstrate that EQ‑Piling lives up to its promise of being significantly quieter.
“We will enable a reduction in CO₂ emissions by removing the need for additional bubble curtains and the vessels that support them.”
Subject to successful completion and final permit approval, EQ-Piling is expected to become available for use in upcoming offshore wind farms. It will support the development of environmentally compliant installation techniques within the sector.
DEME Northern Europe foundations business unit director Bas Nekeman said: “Together with IQIP we have delivered several firsts – from the Hydrohammer IQ4 to the deck-guided Noise Mitigation System and PULSE.
“With Orion, we aim to demonstrate that EQ-Piling can be handled as efficiently as established methods.”
In February, EnBW entered into a 15-year power purchase agreement with Google to provide 100MW of electricity from the He Dreiht offshore wind farm in the German North Sea.
