With a capacity of 487 MW, SeaMade's 58 wind turbines are expected to produce green energy from the end of 2020.
SeaMade is one of the nine state-owned concessions for the production of wind energy in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Its shareholders include Otary, which holds a majority stake, ENGIE and Eneco Wind Belgium. SeaMade is composed of two areas, Seastar and Mermaid, and will have 58 Siemens turbines with a capacity of 487 MW. In addition to ENGIE’s shareholding in the project, EQUANS is part of the consortium that built the SeaMade offshore substations. In total, SeaMade will supply 485,000 Belgian families with sustainable electricity, thus making a significant contribution to Belgium’s goals to develop its renewable energy production capacity.
Proven expertise in the construction of offshore substations
Building on previous successful collaborations on many other offshore wind farms, ENGIE Fabricom, ENGIE Tractebel, Smulders and Deme Offshore are responsible for the execution of the contract for the supply and installation (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation – EPCI) of the transformation platforms, covering engineering, equipment supply, construction, transport, installation and commissioning. The substations were built on the EQUANS site in Hoboken. EQUANS was responsible for the overall coordination of the design of the two platforms, the integration of the low-voltage electrical and auxiliary systems, the piping and mechanical elements and the air conditioning. ENGIE Tractebel took care of the engineering, supply, testing and commissioning of medium and high voltage equipment. Smulders provided the steel constructions of the substations and their foundations, which were transported and installed by Deme Offshore at their final location at sea.
Latest generation substations
High-voltage substations such as those for SeaMade are platforms of the latest-generation. Essential to the operation of wind farms, the 1,400-ton, 40-metre high superstructures built in Hoboken are lighter and faster to build, and also easier to transport and install. EQUANS has participated in many EPCI projects in Europe and continues to monitor and maintain several platforms. Thanks to synergies within the Group, we are able to cover the entire life cycle of substations.