Foundation installation starts at Belgium’s largest offshore wind farm

DEME’s installation vessel ‘Innovation’ will set sail to the Belgian North Sea with the first load of 58 turbine foundations and transition pieces for installation at the SeaMade offshore wind farm. Currently the first monopiles and transition pieces are being loaded at SIF’s Maasvlakte terminal in Rotterdam.

With a 487 MW capacity SeaMade is the largest offshore wind farm in Belgium. SeaMade stands for a combination of two offshore wind projects, previously known as Mermaid (235 MW) and Seastar (252 MW). DEME’s scope includes the installation of the 58 foundations and all inter-array cables, the installation of two offshore substations and the 220 kV submarine high voltage cable installation. In spring 2020, the 8,4 MW turbines will be installed on the foundations. Before the end of 2020, SeaMade will provide renewable energy to 500,000 households in Belgium.

"After months of careful planning and engineering, it is great to kick-off the offshore works at the largest offshore wind farm in Belgium,” says Luc Vandenbulcke, CEO of DEME. “For now, this is the last wind farm developed in the Belgian North Sea. 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. We look forward to working with our partners 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 the offshore wind capacity to 4 GW by 2025.”

“We are proud that SeaMade brings the Belgian offshore wind capacity to 2,262 MW by 2020, exactly as has been anticipated by the Belgian federal government,” says Mathias Verkest, CEO at SeaMade. This capacity will produce more than 8 TWh annually, which is approximately 10% of total electricity demand and 50% of the total household consumption. Even with the limited surface of the Belgian North Sea, Belgium is the fifth producer of offshore wind worldwide. Beyond 2020, the offshore wind energy capacity in the Belgian North Sea can be further developed and doubled to at least 4,000 MW. We trust solutions will be found allowing an adequate and timely grid connection for this second round.”

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.

DEME achieved a turnover of 2.65 billion euros in 2018.