Ocean Winds, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, Eneco, and Otary have entered into a strategic partnership to jointly compete in the tender for the offshore wind Princess Elisabeth concessions in Belgium.
The consortium was formed to compete in the upcoming tenders for the Princess Elisabeth Zone, with the first one expected in 2025.
The tenders will be split into three lots: one for the development of a 700 MW offshore wind farm and two additional lots for offshore wind farms ranging from 1,225 MW to 1,400 MW each.
All wind farms are located in areas that will allow for bottom-fixed technology, said the partners.
“The Princess Elisabeth tenders will be complex, based on the Belgian’s Government ambition to realize the new offshore wind farms on a very tight time schedule, at the lowest price for society and while grid infrastructure is still under development,” said Mathias Verkest , CEO at Otary.
According to the companies, preparatory work is already underway, including site assessments by the government and the construction of Princess Elisabeth Island for the offshore grid connection by system operator Elia.
“Nevertheless, significant work remains to ensure timely project realization, including the Ventilus and Boucle du Hainaut projects for the onshore grid reinforcement,” stated the partners.
The artificial energy island will be built some 45 kilometres off the Belgian coast, within the Princess Elisabeth offshore wind farm zone, and span approximately five hectares above water. The area that will house the electrical infrastructure will be built across approximately six hectares.
Princess Elisabeth Island will be the first artificial energy island in the world to combine both direct current (HVDC) and alternating current (HVAC). The high-voltage infrastructure on the island will bundle together the electricity cables from the wind farms in the Princess Elisabeth Zone.
Recently, Elia awarded contracts to several companies for HVAC components of the energy island, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
“Ocean Winds is thrilled to partner once again with Otary and Eneco for the Princess Elisabeth offshore wind tenders. Our participation will be based on our international expertise and experience from our three operational offshore wind farms and four under construction, combined with Otary and Eneco’s local knowledge,” said Wouter Vandekerkhove , Country Manager Belgium and Netherlands for Ocean Winds.
“We are looking forward to expanding the positive impacts of the successfully operating SeaMade wind farm to bring more clean energy from offshore wind for Belgium’s energy transition.”