First of SeaMade’s two offshore substations sets sail to the Belgian North Sea

The first of two offshore substations for the SeaMade offshore wind farm left the construction yard in Hoboken for its final destination in the Belgian North Sea. The 1,200 tonne substation has four decks, is 14 metres high and has an output capacity of 235 MW.

With a 487 MW capacity SeaMade is the largest offshore wind farm in Belgium. SeaMade  originates  from the merger of two offshore wind projects, previously known as Mermaid (235 MW) and Seastar (252 MW). The SeaMade wind turbines are expected to produce green energy as from mid-2020 onwards, contributing to the Belgian climate targets and the country’s future energy supply.

After a successful collaboration on previous offshore wind farm projects, ENGIE Fabricom, Tractebel, Smulders and DEME Offshore joined forces for the full EPCI scope (engineering, procurement, construction, transport, installation and commissioning) of SeaMade’s high voltage substations.

The partners have a strong track record in offering integrated solutions to the global offshore wind industry.

The high voltage substation is the beating heart of the offshore wind farm. It transforms the wind energy that is produced to 225 kV, which in turn allows the electricity to transfer to shore via Elia’s Modular Offshore Grid (MOG).

Mathias Verkest, CEO SeaMade Offshore Wind Farm comments: “It is really exciting to witness the load-out of this massive 1,200 tonne steel construction at the Fabricom assembly yard.We are happy that the first out of two offshore substations is heading to the Mermaid concession area and are grateful for the tremendous hours of work spent by the combined teams to bring this to a success.Thanks to a close collaboration and the enormous commitment of a dedicated team and our contractors, we will be able to deliver green energy to 485,000 Belgian households.”

Philippe Van Troeye, CEO of ENGIE Benelux: “ENGIE’s participation in the SeaMade offshore wind farm strengthens both our position as the country’s largest green energy producer and our ambition to lead the zero carbon transition. We are proud to be involved in SeaMade on several levels. On the one hand, ENGIE has always been a partner of this important renewable energy project in Belgium, and the combined expertise of our subsidiaries ENGIE Fabricom and Tractebel have contributed to the successful construction of the high-voltage substations on the other hand.”

Bart de Poorter, General Manager DEME Offshore emphasises: “After the successful installation of the foundations and subsea cables we have accomplished yet another major milestone at the SeaMade offshore wind farm. This achievement highlights our knowledge and extensive expertise in offering innovative solutions for complex offshore wind projects. Thanks to our country being at the forefront of offshore renewable energy, we had the opportunity to develop a leading cluster of Belgian companies involved in the construction of offshore wind farms globally. The combined knowledge and experience of our highly skilled engineers can be applied to the most challenging projects. This is particularly important nowadays as the offshore wind industry extends its reach beyond Northern European waters.”

Raf Iemants, Managing Director of Smulders: “We’re very pleased that we could participate in the construction of the new Belgian offshore windfarms Mermaid and Seastar. The substations will join the already installed substations foundations and the 58 WTG foundations, which were also supplied by Smulders. Next step is the offshore installation of the Mermaid OSS and its commissioning to enable it to provide green power to Belgian households.”
 

DEME is a world leader in the highly specialised fields of dredging, marine engineering and environmental remediation. The company can build on more than 140 years of know-how and experience and has fostered a pioneering approach throughout its history, being a front runner in innovation and new technologies.

DEME’s vision is to work towards a sustainable future by offering solutions for global challenges: a rising sea level, a growing population, reduction of CO2 emissions, polluted rivers and soils and the scarcity of natural resources. Although DEME’s activities originated with the core dredging business, the portfolio diversified substantially over the decades, including dredging and land reclamation, solutions for the offshore energy market, infra marine solutions and environmental solutions.

While the company’s roots are in Belgium, DEME has built a strong presence in all of the world’s seas and continents, operating in more than 90 countries worldwide. DEME can rely on 5,200 highly skilled professionals across the globe. With a versatile and modern fleet of over 100 vessels, backed by a broad range of auxiliary equipment, the company can provide solutions for even the most complex projects.