Van Oord has signed a contract with Norther for the Balance of Plant works for the Norther offshore wind farm, located 23 km off the Zeebrugge coast in Belgium.
With a maximal capacity of 370 MW, Norther is set to become Belgium’s largest offshore wind project. After completion it will deliver renewable energy to 400,000 households.
The Van Oord activities encompass the engineering, procurement, supply and installation of the 44 WTG foundations, the Offshore High Voltage Station and the inter-array and export cables, and the installation of the turbines.
For the transport and installation of the foundations and turbines Van Oord intend to deploy its offshore installation vessel Aeolus and cable-laying vessel Nexus. The construction will start in 2018.
Pieter van Oord , CEO of Van Oord, said: “As one of the leading marine contractors we have completed several prominent offshore wind projects in the past fifteen years. We have also made large investments by adding the world’s most advanced offshore wind equipment, such as installation vessel Aeolus and cable laying vessel Nexus, to our fleet. Thanks to our dedicated people, innovative solutions and specialised equipment we can contribute in making offshore wind a common form of sustainable energy.”