A major milestone reached at the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm: all 54 monopile foundations have been successfully installed in the North Sea off the Scottish coast.
Owned by ESB and Red Rock Renewables in a 50/50 joint venture, and executed by Jan De Nul using the heavy lift vessel Les Alizés, this project pushes the boundaries of offshore wind installation.
The scale of these monopiles is truly leading-edge. With diameters up to 11.5 metres, lengths reaching 102 metres, and weights of around 2,300 tonnes, these are among the largest ever installed for an offshore wind farm. Delivering this milestone required overcoming significant technical challenges.
World’s most powerful hammer range
IQIP is proud to have contributed to this achievement. The monopile installation was enabled by our Hydrohammer® IQ6, part of the IQ-series — the world’s most powerful hammer range. During installation, the hammer operated at record capacity, pushing booster mode performance to achieve final penetration under challenging soil conditions.
The IQ6 featured IQIP’s hammer interface socket, ensuring seamless connection with the CLT1700 (Combi Lifting Tool) — a combination that demonstrates efficiency and safety in every lift.