Offshore Wind Farm Oranje Wind Begins Construction Phase – RWE and TotalEnergies Link 795 MW Wind Farm to Storage and Hydrogen
Essen/Utrecht, Netherland – The Oranje Wind offshore wind farm developed by RWE and TotalEnergies has entered its offshore construction phase. The first of a total of 53 monopile foundations has been installed in the Dutch North Sea. The wind farm, with a capacity of 795 MW, is scheduled to be fully operational in early 2028.
Oranje Wind: 53 Offshore Wind Turbines with 15 MW Capacity Each
The Oranje Wind offshore wind farm is being built around 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast. It will comprise 53 wind turbines of Vestas' flagship V236 model, each with a capacity of 15 MW, giving the wind farm a total installed capacity of 795 MW. Installation of the 53 monopiles is scheduled to be completed by early 2027, with cable-laying planned to begin at the end of 2026. The wind turbines are due to be installed over the course of 2027, with Oranje Wind expected to be fully operational in early 2028.
The foundations are supplied by Dutch manufacturer Sif. Transport and installation are being handled by Jan De Nul using the specialized vessel "Les Alizés." Unlike offshore foundations with a separate transition piece, the wind turbines at Oranje Wind are attached directly to the upper flange of the monopiles. According to RWE, this design reduces the amount of steel required.
A bubble curtain is being used to protect marine life from the underwater noise generated when the foundations are driven into the seabed. Compressed air is used to create a wall of bubbles around the construction site that absorbs and reflects sound. Noise levels are measured outside the bubble curtain.
System Integration: RWE and TotalEnergies Contribute Their Own Storage, Hydrogen and Flexibility Projects
Linking offshore wind energy with storage and flexible consumers was already part of the tender for Hollandse Kust West VII. In awarding the project, the Dutch government agency RVO explicitly assessed, alongside technical, economic and financial feasibility, the contribution to integrating the wind farm into the Dutch energy system. RWE won the tender for the site in 2022.
Applicants could earn half of the total available points for the system-integration criterion. The assessment covered both investments to integrate the new wind farm and innovations that could support the integration of further offshore wind farms into the Dutch energy system in the future.
As part of the Oranje Wind concept, RWE is relying on battery storage, among other things. At its Eemshaven power plant site, the company has been operating a battery storage system with a capacity of 35 MW and a storage capacity of 41 MWh since early 2025. Among other functions, it is intended to balance electricity supply and demand in the Dutch grid, and according to RWE it is one of the system-integration solutions for Oranje Wind.
A further battery storage system with a capacity of 7.5 MW and 11 MWh began commercial operation at RWE's Moerdijk site in June 2025. The facility features grid-forming inverters and can absorb or release electricity within milliseconds, helping to stabilize the power grid.
System integration also includes flexible electricity consumers. RWE plans to deploy, among other things, e-boilers and smart charging solutions for electric vehicles. These are intended to help align the timing of electricity consumption more closely with generation from renewable energy sources.
Hydrogen: RWE and TotalEnergies Pursue Separate Projects
The two Oranje Wind partners are also contributing their own projects in hydrogen production. RWE is developing a 100 MW electrolyzer at its Eemshaven site. According to the company, construction and environmental permits for the project are already in place. A final investment decision on construction, however, has yet to be made.
TotalEnergies, by contrast, plans to use its share of Oranje Wind's renewable power output for its own electrolysis projects with a combined capacity of 350 MW. According to the company, these are expected to produce around 40,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year, which will be used to decarbonize TotalEnergies' refineries in Northern Europe.
This includes a 250 MW electrolysis project planned jointly with Air Liquide at the Zeeland refinery in the Netherlands. The plant is to be supplied with electricity from Oranje Wind and produce up to 30,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Oranje Wind to Supply Power Equivalent to Around One Million Households
Once fully operational, Oranje Wind is expected to generate enough electricity to cover the annual needs of around one million Dutch households, on a statistical basis.
With the start of the offshore construction phase, a project is now moving into implementation in which the integration of wind power generation into the energy system already played a central role at the time of the 2022 award. While RWE leads construction and subsequent operation of the joint offshore wind farm, both partners are contributing their own system-integration projects. Oranje Wind thus combines the expansion of offshore wind energy with storage, hydrogen production and flexible electricity demand.
Source: IWR Online, 08 Sep 2026