Eneco to purchase all green power generated by new Belgian offshore windfarms
Eneco will purchase all the power generated by the Belgian offshore windfarms Seastar and Mermaid (together indicated as ‘SeaMade’) that will be constructed off the coast at Zeebrugge starting 2019. As of 2020 SeaMade's 58 turbines, currently the largest in the world, will supply power for 500,000 households.
Together with Engie Electrabel and the Otary consortium, Eneco is also shareholder of this sustainable project, the 1.3 billion euro financing of which was finalised earlier this week. Eneco has concluded a long-term power purchase agreement with the other shareholders regarding the supply of the energy.
The purchase of the green power is in line with the growth strategy of the sustainable energy company. Kees-Jan Rameau, Chief Strategic Growth Officer at Eneco: “We aim for growth with respect to customers, sustainable energy and smart energy services. These areas are strongly interrelated. For example, as a result of the acquisition of ENI last year, we welcomed a large number of new customers in Belgium. I am proud that, in time, this long-term agreement will allow us to supply them with green power that is completely generated locally.”
About SeaMade
- SeaMade is the legal entity behind the merger of the offshore wind farms Seastar and Mermaid;
- The shareholders of SeaMade are the Otary consortium (70%), Engie Electrabel (17.5%) and Eneco (12.5%);
- A mast of 109 metres and a rotor diameter of 167 metres make the Siemens Gamesa wind turbines used in these wind farms the largest turbines in the world;
- The wind farms have a combined capacity of 487 MW;
- Each wind turbine weighs some 465 tons;
- Construction will start in 2019, the first power will be supplied in 2020.