The inauguration took place in the presence of the board of directors and its shareholders, investors, (sub)contractors and the SeaMade project team. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the North Sea Vincent Van Quickenborne, Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten, and Ostend Mayor Bart Tommelein were also present at the inauguration.
SeaMade has been operational since the end of 2020. The offshore wind farm was delivered on time and within budget. It consists of 58 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 487 MW that generate 1.8 TWh/yr of renewable energy, able to supply energy to 500 000 Belgian households. SeaMade NV is responsible for the simultaneous development of both the Mermaid and Seastar offshore wind farms, resulting in one of the largest wind farms ever financed and built in Belgium. Mermaid is the furthest zone in the Belgian North Sea, approximately 50 km from the Ostend coastline. Via export cables in the seabed, the electricity from the sea is linked to Elia's offshore transmission grid and then brought ashore.
SeaMade is making a strong contribution to the binding target to obtain 13% of energy from renewable energy sources by 2020. Half of the renewable energy production comes from offshore wind energy, of which a quarter of the required offshore energy production of the SeaMade project.
Since the end of 2020, after the commissioning of the last offshore wind farms in the North Sea, offshore wind energy has accounted for no less than 10% of total Belgian electricity consumption.
Offshore wind has become a crucial player in the energy landscape that needs to develop further with a capacity that can double to triple in the next 10 years. To ensure a successful energy transition, it is also essential to develop a long-term vision for the integration of sustainable energy sources.
