CG Bags Another Northwind Contract

Avantha Group Company CG has been awarded a contract from the Belgian offshore wind farm operator Northwind to provide operation and maintenance services for the 216 MW wind farm offshore substation on the Lodewijk bank, 40 km off the Belgian coast.

This prestigious order follows a previous contract won by CG at the Northwind offshore wind farm for the grid connection study and supply of a 275 MVA main transformer and two reactors of 65 MVA.

CG will provide complete end-to-end services in order to effectively monitor, maintain and repair the offshore substation and ensure optimal availability and safety for ten years. The remote surveillance and monitoring service operated by CG will include power adjustments and will secure the operation of the Northwind installations on a 24×7 basis. In addition, CG will also provide preventive and corrective maintenance through its dedicated offshore specialised service team.

The company’s Belgium office has been set up in order to provide its European customers, a timely and cost effective engineering response to their needs. The offerings comprise of turnkey products, solutions and services for the design, manufacture, supply, construction, installation, testing, commissioning, and servicing of large scale turnkey projects.

Northwind is a key player in the Belgian offshore industry. The Lodewijk wind farm produces 875 GWh/year of renewable energy for 250,000 Belgian households and contributes to an annual reduction of CO2 emissions of 255,000 tons. This project will go on to significantly increase CG’s market share in this strategic sector, and also plays a key role in contributing to Europe’s targets to harness 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources.

The company’s proven technology is already being used in other platforms on the North Sea (a.o Gemini, Butendiek, Humber). This contract complements our existing operation and maintenance contract with Belwind, a sister company of Northwind, and we have thus garnered a 60 percent share of all offshore substation operation and maintenance activities in the Belgian offshore industry. CG’s intelligent substation automation products and solutions are a much preferred choice, due to their high reliability, superior performance and cost effectiveness.

Furthermore, the company’s team of dedicated offshore service specialists has developed a unique know-how in supporting and maintaining offshore installations throughout Europe. By way of its offshore renewable energy projects, CG has contributed to the collective generation of over 2.000 Megawatts of renewable energy, and has brought about a reduction of 4.000.000 tons of carbon emissions.

Commenting on the order, Avantha Group Company CG’s CEO and Managing Director Laurent Demortier said: “We are delighted that our experienced and dedicated offshore maintenance team has been selected by Northwind to ensure reliability and availability of the Lodewijk wind farm. This new contract builds on CG’s successful track record in designing, building and servicing offshore grid connection systems. We look forward to forming a long-standing presence in this critical area of sustainable development by further leveraging our globally benchmarked portfolio of products and services.” 

Press release; Image: CG