Siemens Receives First Belgian Offshore Wind Turbine Order

Rentel NV has placed an order with Siemens for the 309MW Rentel wind project. The contract includes the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of 42 SWT-7.0-154 wind turbines and marks the first order of Siemens offshore wind turbines in Belgium.

In April, Rentel NV and Siemens signed a contract for the supply and maintenance of 42 offshore wind turbines, following the announcement from October 2015 that Siemens had been chosen as the preferred turbine supplier for the project. The developer has now placed the order after reaching the financial close for the Rentel offshore wind farm.

A long-term service agreement for a period of 17 years will provide customised offshore service and logistics solutions for the turbines, and includes Siemens’ data-driven remote diagnostics and monitoring.

“We are pleased that Rentel NV has selected Siemens for our first project in the Belgian part of the North Sea,” said Michael Hannibal, Offshore CEO of Siemens Wind Power. “The advanced model of our proven direct drive offshore wind turbine platform and our advanced services will leverage the energy output of the Rentel offshore wind power plant and help to establish offshore wind power as a key pillar of a sustainable energy mix in various European countries.”

The Rentel offshore wind power plant is located about 40 kilometers off the Belgian North Sea coast. The 42 Siemens wind turbines will be installed on monopile foundations in water depths ranging from 22 to 36 meters.

The first turbines are expected to deliver power to the Belgian grid by mid-2018, while the entire offshore project is planned to become fully operational by the end of 2018.

The output of the Rentel offshore wind power plant will be sufficient to supply approximately 300,000 households in Belgium with clean power.