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Installation of Belgian topside for offshore substation marks milestone in further construction of Merkur Offshore Wind Farm


Monday, January 15, 2018 — The topside for the offshore substation for the Merkur Offshore Wind Farm has been installed over the weekend.

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.

Bert Ariën, Project Director Merkur at GeoSea: “The installation of the topside is a major milestone for GeoSea in the construction of the Merkur Offshore Wind Farm. It is the first time GeoSea provides the complete Balance of Plant scope of Work, including the EPCI scope of the substation. This comprehensive project is an opportunity for us and our partners to demonstrate our capabilities in offering integrated solutions to offshore wind customers. The extensive know-how and collaborative approach adopted by the Engie Fabricom–Tractebel and Iemants joint venture, combined with GeoSea’s leading expertise in providing tailored solutions for the offshore wind industry enabled us to successfully execute this challenging package of the project in a record time of 14 months after financial close.”

Johan Mostmans, Project Manager at Tractebel: “Managing the entire engineering process, from the Detailed Design and Procurement up to the Programming, Testing and Offshore Commissioning within this tight deadline has really been a masterpiece”. Kristine Voet, Project Manager at ENGIE Fabricom continues: “This project illustrates the strong expertise of ENGIE and its subsidiaries in the field of wind offshore and its will to contribute to the success of the energy transition. The Merkur project is the 20th substation build by ENGIE Fabricom. It demonstrates our ability to propose a complete range of services to our customers for each type of modular project.”

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. www.deme-group.com/geosea

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. www.tractebel-engie.com

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 peoplewww.engie-fabricom.com

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.

Iemants is part of Smulders, a sound and flexible business partner serving the offshore wind, offshore oil & gas and onshore civil & industry market. www.iemants.com www.smulders.com