As reported in REM yesterday, SeaMade is a combination of two offshore wind projects in Belgium, previously known as Mermaid (235 MW) and Seastar (252 MW). The project will include 58 wind turbines – supplied by SiemensGamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) - and will be located 40-50 kilometres off the coast from Ostend. Otary NV has the majority interest in the SeaMade project. Via DEME Concessions the DEME Group is one of the Otary shareholders.
Foundations, turbines and inter-array cables – The Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) contract for the 58 foundations and the inter-array cables will be undertaken by DEME subsidiary Dredging International. The cables will connect each turbine to the relevant offshore substation. The foundation type will be a monopile foundation. With a hub height of 109 metres and a rotor diameter of 167 metres, the wind turbines will be the largest installed thus far in the Belgian North Sea.
Substations - Each of SeaMade’s two wind farms, Mermaid and Seastar, will have its own offshore substation, which will collect electricity produced, convert it from 33 kV to 220 kV and export it into the grid. After a successful collaboration on numerous offshore wind farms, GeoSea, ENGIE and Smulders join forces again for the SeaMade project. The partnership will be responsible for the full engineering, procurement, construction, transport, installation and commissioning of the two high voltage substations.
Export cables - Both wind farms will be connected through two 220 kV submarine high voltage cables to the Belgian Modular Offshore Grid. In a consortium with Hellenic Cables, Tideway will be responsible for the design, manufacturing and installation operations, and for connecting the wind farms high voltage substations to the Belgian Modular Offshore Grid. The export cables have a combined length of approximately 28 km.
The construction of the project has already been initiated with offshore works to start in summer 2019. Both wind farms are planned to be operational before the end of 2020.
“DEME and its subsidiaries are proud to contribute to a sustainable energy transition in Belgium” said Alain Bernard, Director and CEO. “We are an early mover in the offshore wind market in our home country. We will deploy our specialised high-tech equipment, know-how and local experience to efficiently and safely carry out the SeaMade project, as well as export this valuable experience in many projects in Europe and beyond. After the successful cooperation for the Rentel project we will again use the REBO site in the port of Ostend as our base for wind turbine assembly, transport and installation. Also, we look forward to working with our strong partner network and all stakeholders on the SeaMade project, and are confident also in the future our combined expertise can play a major role in Belgium’s ambition to double offshore wind capacity to 4 GW by 2025.”
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