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. It originates from the merger of two offshore wind projects, previously known as Mermaid (235 MW) and Seastar (252 MW) and the project’s wind turbines are expected to produce green energy 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, transforming 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).
“After the successful installation of the foundations and subsea cables we have accomplished yet another major milestone at the SeaMade offshore wind farm” said Bart de Poorter, General Manager DEME Offshore. “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.”
Mathias Verkest, CEO SeaMade Offshore Wind Farm, added that it is really exciting to witness the load-out of the massive 1,200 tonne steel construction at the Fabricom assembly yard and that, thanks to a close collaboration and the enormous commitment of a dedicated team and our contractors, the project will be able to deliver green energy to 485,000 Belgian households.”
For additional information:
