The topside for the offshore substation for the Merkur Offshore Wind Farm has been installed over the weekend, DEME said in its press release.
This piece of technology is the result of a close cooperation between Belgian companies that are major players in the international offshore wind energy market. With companies like Tractebel (engineering), ENGIE-Fabricom (electromechanics), Iemants (steel constructions) and GeoSea (contracting) Flanders had developed a leading cluster of offshore wind energy experts, executing the most complex projects on the European market.
GeoSea, DEME’s specialist in complex offshore marine engineering projects, is undertaking the EPCI contract for the Balance of Plant (BoP) for Merkur, including the design, procurement, manufacturing, installation and commissioning of the foundation structures, cables and offshore substation as well as the installation of the Wind Energy Converters (WEC’s).
The joint venture ENGIE Fabricom-Tractebel and Iemants was awarded with the contract for the engineering, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning of the offshore substation and associated jacket foundation.
The topside structure has 4 decks, is 20 metres tall, weighs 2,500 tonnes and has an output capacity of 396 MW.
The owner and developer of the Merkur wind farm is Merkur Offshore GmbH, a joint venture between its shareholders Partners Group, InfraRed Capital Partners, DEME Concessions and Coriolis. The 396 MW wind farm is scheduled for commissioning in 2018.
About GeoSea
GeoSea is DEME’s specialist in complex offshore marine engineering projects. GeoSea offers a wide variety of services to owners of offshore assets, marine consultants and marine contractors in the sectors of offshore Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy and Civil Engineering. These services consist of the hammering and drilling of large diameter piles for offshore constructions such as jetties, mooring facilities, bridges, offshore wind farms, the installation of offshore structures, platforms and geotechnical investigations at large depths.
About Tractebel
At the helm of the Energy Transition, Tractebel provides a full range of engineering and consulting services throughout the life cycle of its clients’ projects, including design and project management. As one of the world’s largest engineering consultancy companies and with more than 150 years of experience, it's our mission to actively shape the world of tomorrow. With about 4,400 experts and offices in 33 countries, we are able to offer our customers multidisciplinary solutions in energy, water and infrastructure.
About ENGIE Fabricom
ENGIE Fabricom designs, builds and maintains multi-technical facilities for companies and local authorities. Many of its solutions improve mobility, safety, distribution systems and the share of renewable energies, as well as operational and energy performance in industrial environments. ENGIE Fabricom and its subsidiaries are active in both Belgium and abroad. They recorded a turnover of €1.12 billion in 2016 and employ 5,900 people.
About Iemants
Iemants is an international steel construction company with a proven track record in the engineering, production, delivery and assembly of mainly heavy, technically complex steel constructions. Iemants ranks among the world's top steel construction companies. With regards to substations, Iemants offers a full range of services from fabrication to complete EPCI projects.