Ostend / Mechelen,
02
February
2015
|
09:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Norther will be the biggest offshore wind farm in Belgium

  • Generation of sustainable Electricity for 350,000 households
  • New technology will contribute to costreduction
  • 50/50 joint venture between Elicio en Eneco
Summary

Norther will be the 4th windfarmproject alongside the Belgian coast. With a capacity of 350 MW, Norther is set to become Belgium’s largest offshore project. Now that Elia has started construction works for the highvoltagegrid (Stevin-project), the achievement of the next offshore wind farm has come into new speed. Norther aims at starting works in 2017 and commissioning around 2018.

Ambitions of both investmentpartners were announced during load-out of an offshore highvoltage substation in Hoboken for a wind park I, The Netherlands in presence of Secretary of State Bart Tommelein.

The Norther wind farm will:

  • be constructed 22km off the coast of Zeebrugge
  • generate annually green electricity for 350,000 households
  • contribute significantly to Belgium meeting its target of generating 13% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.

The construction of the newest generation of wind turbines of the 6+MW class will play a significant part in bringing down the costs of offshore wind energy.

Milestones 2015-2016
After 5 years of development, Norther has obtained all necessary permits for the project, whilst it is now currently in the process of tendering and contracting. An extensive geotechnical (soil) research will take place in 2015 which is crucial for the final design of the project. In the course of this year, Norther will also start up project finance to reach financial close by mid-2016.

Positive contribution to Belgian economy
Norther and its shareholders Elicio and Eneco, are positive about the Belgian investment climate in the offshore wind sector. It presents opportunities for project owners, but also for hundreds of Belgian businesses, involved in developing, constructing and running future offshore wind farms.
The Norther project also contributes to the sustainable development of the Belgian electricity production park, the energy supply and achieving the European climate objectives for our country.The Norther project organisation is planning to relocate to Ostend, from where also the 20-year operational Works are expected to take place.

Norther is the First offshore wind project in Elicio’s portfolio that we aim to realise. We also want to be co-owner during its entire lifetime, hereby marking Elicio’s presence in the offshore wind farm industry.
Elicio’s general manager Ludo Vandervelden
The Norther project is a crucial part of Eneco Belgium’s strategy to supply all our customers with green energy generated with assets which we co-develop ourselves. 
Eneco Wind Belgium’s general manager Miguel de Schaetzen
Boilerplate

 

About Elicio:
Elicio NV is a Belgian energy producer, which operates on an international level in the renewable energy sector .Elicio’s mission is to develop, engineer, construct, and operate renewable energy projects, both in onshore and offshore wind in a sustainable manner for its stakeholders and society. As an Electricity producer, we mainly generate our energy from wind and biomass. This inherently involves high-tech installations, constructed in good neighbourliness. As a young enterprise, Elicio NV focuses on projects that contribute to a more sustainable world, in a socially responsible context, applying a long-term vision for its shareholders. Elicio is a company of the Nethys S.A. group, active in the energy, telecommunications, and media sector.

About Eneco:
The Eneco Group’s mission is to provide sustainable energy for everyone. Our aim is to develop local and sustainable energy supplies by means of co-operation.Eneco is an integrated energy company that has been active in Belgium since 2003. We focus on generating and supplying gas and electricity from sustainable sources such as solar and wind energy. Eneco Belgium already has more than 5,000 corporate customers and 280,000 individual connections. In Belgium Eneco owns and manages 78 operational wind turbines and 114 solar installations. Since it was founded, Eneco Belgium has grown into a company that currently employs 220 people. In 2013, the Eneco Group as a whole achieved a turnover of over EUR 5.3 billion and invested EUR 760 million. In total Eneco has 7,000 employees.