Vestas Taps NHV for North Sea Offshore Wind Ops

December 16, 2024, by Adnan Memija

NHV Group has been awarded a multi-year contract by Vestas to provide offshore wind operations in the North Sea with the super medium helicopter, the Airbus H175.

Under the contract, Belgium’s NHV will provide dedicated crew changes and hoisting operations for the offshore wind industry, starting in April 2025.

According to the company, this contract marks “a pivotal moment” for both NHV and the helicopter industry as it makes NHV the first operator to utilise both a super medium aircraft type and the H175 helicopter exclusively for long-term support in the offshore wind sector in the North Sea.

“We are proud that the H175 is making energy transition history by contributing to the development of the North Sea wind farm industry together with NHV and Vestas. We are confident that the excellent range, payload, speed, comfort and safety of the H175 will help to streamline and secure operations at offshore bases and wind turbines,” said Regis Magnac, Vice President Head of Energy, Leasing and Global Accounts at Airbus Helicopters.

The H175 helicopter is said to be suited for long-range crew changes and hoisting operations, making it the perfect choice for the expanding offshore wind sector.

In 2022, NHV became the first helicopter operator to carry out a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flight in the offshore wind industry, in collaboration with partner TotalEnergies.

The sustainable aviation fuel supplied by TotalEnergies is produced in Europe and made from waste and residues from the circular economy, such as used cooking oils.

In terms of other news coming from Vestas, the Danish company recently signed a contract with Inch Cape Offshore Limited, a joint venture between Red Rock Power Limited and ESB, to supply 72 V236-15.0 MW to the 1.1 GW project in Scotland.