The Ecowende offshore wind farm, also referred to as Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI, is an 760MW offshore wind power development under construction in the Netherlands.
The project was developed by the Shell (60%) and Eneco (40%) partnership, which secured the tender for Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI in December 2022.
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A month later, Eneco entered into an agreement to sell a 30% stake in Ecowende to Japan’s Chubu Electric Power, reducing Eneco’s holding from 40%, while Shell retained 60%.
The Ecowende joint venture (JV), comprising Shell with 60%, Chubu Electric Power with 30% and Eneco with 10%, was established to deliver the project.
The wind farm is expected to generate up to 3.3TW-hours per year, which equates to around 3% of current Dutch electricity demand.
In July 2026, the first installed turbine was connected to TenneT’s offshore substation and began producing electricity. Full commissioning is targeted by the end of 2026.
Ecowende offshore wind farm location
The Ecowende offshore wind farm sits within the Hollandse Kust (west) Wind Farm Zone, which includes the OranjeWind offshore wind farm, also known as Hollandse Kust West VII.
The project site is located around 28.6 nautical miles (53km) off the west coast near IJmuiden and spans an effective area of approximately 90km² in waters 26m (85.3ft)–30m deep.
Project details
The Ecowende offshore wind farm will be installed with 52 units of V236-15MW turbines.
Each turbine is rated at 15,000kW and uses a 236m rotor with a swept area of 43,742m². Braking is provided by an aerodynamic system in which all three blades fully feather.
The project uses monopiles with diameters of 8.8m and 9.3m to suit different tower heights to help birds pass more safely between structures, potentially reducing collision risk. Ecowende plans to monitor bird behaviour and collision levels during construction and operations as part of its wider assessment of nature-inclusive offshore wind approaches.
The 52 extended monopile foundations will not include transition pieces, instead using secondary steel components, with a total steel weight of approximately 70,000t. Under this design, secondary steelwork such as boat landings, ladders, primary access platforms and internal platforms will be installed and fixed directly to the monopile foundations after the monopiles are installed.
Additionally, Vestas is supplying seven of the wind turbines with one blade painted red on each machine to test whether higher visual contrast improves blade visibility for birds and reduces collisions through a stronger perceived smear effect during rotation.
Power evacuation
Electricity generated from the project will be exported to the Dutch grid via the TenneT-operated Hollandse Kust (west) Alpha offshore substation, which features a 3,600t topside, installed on a jacket platform.
The substation is connected by an export cable that makes landfall at Heemskerk/Wijk aan Zee and then runs onwards to the onshore high-voltage substation near Beverwijk.
The grid connection for the project via the substation was declared ready for commissioning in January 2024.
Construction details
Buss Terminal Eemshaven was selected in December 2024 as the marshalling port, with services provided by Buss Ports and its subsidiary Buss Offshore Solutions.
Offshore foundation work progressed in December 2025 with the installation of the first monopile by Boreas, Van Oord’s next-generation installation vessel.
By April 2026, three monopile foundations had been installed using GBM Works’ VibroJet® solution combined with CAPE’s Vibro Lifting Tool at commercial scale for the first time.
This method uses vibration and controlled water jets inside the monopile to fluidise soil and reduce resistance, with the aim of lowering underwater noise and limiting ecological impact without reducing installation performance.
Wind turbine installation began in May 2026, and the first turbine was installed by Boreas during the same month.
Contractors involved
In April 2024, Ecowende signed a contract with GBM Works to install three monopiles using its Vibrojet noise-reducing technology.
Vestas won the contract to supply wind turbines for the project in December 2023 and will also provide servicing for the wind farm under a 15-year service agreement to support efficient asset performance.
In the same month, Sif Group was awarded the contract for manufacturing the 52 monopiles without transition pieces, executed through Sif Offshore Foundations.
Van Oord was contracted to carry out offshore construction and is responsible for transporting and installing several wind farm components including the foundations, scour protection, inter-array cables and turbines.
CAPE Holland was subcontracted by Van Oord in June 2024 for the provision of the CAPE Vibro Lifting Technology for the monopile installations.
In November 2025, FØN Energy Services secured a five-year contract to provide above-water balance of plant inspection, repair and maintenance services, alongside subsea remotely operated vehicle survey operations. The agreement covers a combined portfolio of six wind farms.
TKF Connectivity Solutions was engaged for the development, production and delivery of inter-array cable and connectivity solutions.
Proeon Systems provided the engineering design, supply, installation and integration of the electrical control systems for the Hollandse Kust West Alpha substation.
Tekmar designed and manufactured the cable protection systems to protect the subsea power cable connections between the wind turbines and their foundations.
Next Kraftwerke serves as the balancing service provider and congestion service provider for the wind farm, supporting grid integration and managing congestion in the day-ahead, intraday and balancing energy markets for Ecowende.
Other companies involved in the project are 24SEA, Anemo Robotics, Cognite, Conclusion Mission Critical and DHI, in addition to Furgo, Green Rebel HiDef, HUB Ocean, INNAX and MIDO/Wedge Global. Other businesses involved in the project are OES Group, Robin Radar Systems, Seasight Solutions and TNO, as well as Waardenburg Ecology and Waterproof.
