ESVAGT has secured the contract to service Vestas at Ecowende’s Hollandse Kust West offshore wind farm in the Netherlands and has initiated the process of designing and building the new SOV.
The newbuild will be the 6thpurpose-built SOV for Vestas; a testament to the strong partnership between two innovative market leaders, who have been cooperating since 2010:
“ESVAGT and Vestas share an extensive history since the earliest days of offshore wind, and Vestas has been one of our key partners in developing and refining our SOV concept,” ESVAGT Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer Søren Karas :“This new contract not only underlines our shared ambition of continually pushing the envelope on efficient wind farm operations, it also cements ESVAGT’s position as the largest owner of build-to-contract SOVs”
The new wind farm will be commissioned in 2026. The partners have agreed a 15-year contract with extension options, which is aligned with Vestas’ service contract for EcoWende to ensure the optimal performance of the turbines.
Keld Kristensen Head of Operation Logistics Offshore at Vestas says: “We are pleased to extend our cooperation with ESVAGT who has demonstrated over many years that they can deliver high performance and adapt to market changes. There has always been a shared vision between us to continuously improve on safety, quality and the sustainable developments needed going forward “.
The Ecowende wind farm adheres to several non-price criteria from the Dutch government, including the creation of a bird corridor within the wind farm layout, increasing the hub height to create more vertical space for birds as well as integrating bird and bat detection and deterrence systems into the turbine design.
ESVAGT received Vestas’ “Sustainability Supplier of the Year” award for 2023, and adopting the ecology measures fits well with both Vestas’ and ESVAGTs’ ambitions to run the most sustainable operation possible. The battery-hybrid SOV is a new compact design, with the lowest possible fuel consumption, and is prepared for full electrification.
