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First turbine stands at SeaMade

By: Tom Russell 22/06/2020 DEME Offshore

General Vessels Windfarms

DEME Offshore has installed the first turbine at the SeaMade offshore wind farm in the Belgian North Sea. With a 487 MW capacity, SeaMade is the largest offshore wind farm in Belgium.

Offshore construction of the SeaMade wind farm started in September 2019, with the last foundation installed in January 2020, followed by connection via subsea cables. DEME’s DP2 offshore installation vessel Apollo will now install 58 Siemens Gamesa 8.4 MW turbines on the monopile foundations.

Apollo loaded the first wind turbine components at the Renewable Energy Base Ostend (REBO), which is used as the marshalling harbour for the pre-assembly of the 58 turbines. From Ostend, Apollo will transport the tower elements, nacelles and blades, with a total weight of 1,000 tonnes each, for installation at the SeaMade site which is about 45 km off the Belgian coast.

The vessel features an 800-tonne, leg-encircling crane and an unobstructed 2,000 m² deck with a load carrying capacity of 15 t/m².

Michael Glavind, Business Unit Director DEME Offshore, said: “After the successful installation of the foundations, offshore substations and subsea cables, the start of the turbine installation campaign brings us another step closer to the production of green energy. This is also the first turbine installation project for our offshore installation vessel ‘Apollo’, which has just completed a challenging foundation piling project in Scotland. This vessel’s ability to multitask highlights the versatility of our fleet and our ability to handle all aspects of the most complex offshore wind farms.”

Mathias Verkest, CEO SeaMade and Otary, said: “I am proud to have reached the final stage of our SeaMade construction activities. The offshore installation of 58 8.4 MW wind turbine generators in both concession areas will turn SeaMade into the largest wind farm in the Belgian North Sea. SeaMade and Rentel will soon have a combined operational capacity of about 800 MW. Otary will enter into this final installation phase with great expertise, knowledge and focus. The past few months have been challenging given the spread of COVID-19 but I can only be grateful for what has been achieved by this strong team. Together with all contractors, subcontractors and partners involved we will continue working in the upcoming months with great dedication and perseverance to deliver SeaMade safely within time and budget. It must be highlighted that the combined Otary projects are a major contributor to Belgium’s ongoing climate goals and efforts, contributing more than 1/3rd of the overall offshore production capacity which covers half of the 2020 renewable energy targets."

The SeaMade project is made up of two wind farms, Mermaid and Seastar, and is located in Belgian waters approximately 40-50 km off the coast of Ostend, in water depths between 22 and 38 metres. The project is being developed by SeaMade NV, a joint venture of the Otary group (70%), Electrabel (Engie) (17.5%), and Eneco Wind Belgium (12.5%).

The two projects will have a combined capacity of 487 MW and will consist of 58 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD turbines, each with an individual installed capacity of 8.4 MW, mounted on monopile foundations. Each wind turbine has a hub height of 109 metres and a rotor diameter of 167 metres, and they are expected to power around 500,000 households annually. Once constructed and operational, the project is expected to offset 700,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year.

For more information on offshore wind farms worldwide, click here. You can also view projects worldwide on 4C Offshore's interactive map.

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First turbine stands at SeaMade

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