Belgian grid operator Elia has been given board approval to invest €400m in a offshore wind grid hub for North Sea projects.
The ‘modular offshore grid’ has been in development for many years and is designed to create an export route for more than 1GW of projects including Rentel, Northwest 2, Mermaid and Seastar.
A platform some 40km off Zeebrugge will be connected to shore at the Stevin substation via three 220kV cables. Operation is scheduled for the second half of 2019.
The operator said the hub represents not only an advantage today but offers “valuable opportunities for Belgium’s position in future offshore development”.
Elia chief executive Chris Peeters said: “The modular grid is a first building block of a future North Sea grid and will expand our activities in Belgium from onshore towards offshore. The modular grid can generate opportunities for the economy, help to develop new technologies, and this all leads to the creation of high quality jobs.”
Elia has already performed seabed survey campaigns to investigate soil conditions along the cable route and at the platform location. A detailed design of the offshore platform is currently being undertaken and tenders for the main construction contracts are ongoing.
Investment totals include all construction works by Elia as well as the acquisition of part of the assets being built for the 309MW Rentel by developer Otary.
Once the modular offshore grid is constructed, Elia will own and operate the offshore assets.
Image: Elia has embraced a shared approach to offshore connections (Elia)
