Van Oord to build Belgium’s largest offshore wind power project

Van Oord has signed a contract with Norther for the Balance of Plant works for the Norther offshore wind farm, located 23 km off the Zeebrugge coast in Belgium. With a maximal capacity of 370 MW, Norther is set to become Belgium’s largest offshore wind project. After completion it will deliver renewable energy to 400,000 households.

The use of wind energy is increasing rapidly, especially in north western Europe, driven by concerns about global warming, together with the aim of reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. Van Oord is at the forefront of projects that can be labelled as sustainable additions to the world. The Norther offshore wind farm will contribute significantly to Belgium meeting its target of generating 13% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.

The Van Oord activities encompass the engineering, procurement, supply and installation of the 44 WTG foundations, the Offshore High Voltage Station and the inter-array and export cables, and the installation of the turbines. For the transport and installation of the foundations and turbines Van Oord intends to deploy its offshore installation vessel Aeolus and cable-laying vessel Nexus. The construction will start in 2018.