DEME Offshore has installed the first turbine at the 487MW SeaMade offshore wind farm in the Belgian North Sea.
DEME’s DP2 offshore installation vessel Apollo is now installing 58 Siemens Gamesa 8.4 MW turbines on the monopile foundations, its first turbine installation campaign.
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.
Apollo will transport the tower elements, nacelles and blades, with a total weight of 1,000 tonnes each, from Ostend for installation at the SeaMade site, 45 km off the Belgian coast.
Offshore construction of the SeaMade wind farm started in September 2019 and is planned to be online by the end of this year. The last foundation was installed in January 2020 and since connected by the subsea cables.
Mathias Verkest, CEO SeaMade and Otary: “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.”
“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.”
DEME Offshore director Michael Glavind said: “This is 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.”