RWE has taken delivery of 36 out of 72 of the reusable covers, supplied by Dutch company Circular Covers, which will be used to protect the foundations of the 1.1 GW Thor offshore wind farm, being built in the Danish North Sea.
The covers, which have arrived in Thyboron Port, will be used to protect the monopile foundations from the harsh conditions at sea until the turbine towers are installed next year.
The covers serve as a temporary yet essential solution for shielding against seawater, rain, and bird droppings until the turbine towers are installed on the monopiles. Usually, the covers are disposed of after use because they were tailor-made to a specific offshore project.
However, the covers from Circular Covers are made from glass fibre reinforced composite panels bolted to a steel frame, and the design allows the panels to be adjusted and reused for different sizes of monopiles.
It is expected that the individual panels of the covers could last 15 years and even more, depending on how often the diameter needs to be adjusted.
The 72 covers for the Thor project were previously installed at an offshore wind farm off the Dutch coast.
After their deployment at RWE’s Thor wind farm, the adjustable covers will be utilized at other upcoming offshore wind projects.
Foundation installation work at Thor offshore wind farm, including the deployment of the reusable covers, will start in spring 2025, with turbine installation scheduled for 2026.
After commissioning in 2027, the wind farm will have the capacity to produce enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of more than one million Danish households.
“We are committed to sustainability improvements and innovations at our offshore wind projects, and the reusable covers are an important part of this. At RWE, we are the first in the world to install covers from Circular Covers B.V. that have previously been used on the high seas.
“These covers reduce waste and increase circularity whilst the initiative exemplifies our dedication to sustainable practices. In addition, our Thor wind farm will pilot turbine towers made from CO2-reduced steel and use recyclable wind turbine blades,” said Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind.
