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OSTEND (BE) | Rentel NV installs 42 wind turbines in the North Sea


Today, the jack-up installation vessel “Sea Installer” will start the installation of the Rentel wind turbines in the North Sea.

Start of the installation of the offshore wind turbines
Rentel NV has started the offshore installation of its wind turbines. The jack-up installation vessel “Sea Installer” of DEME loaded the first wind turbine components for the Rentel wind farm in the port of Ostend. The wind turbines will be installed offshore in the days to come. The installation of the 42 wind turbines will be completed after the summer. The first wind turbines are expected to already generate green energy before the summer.

Ready-made construction kit
All components of the wind turbines for the Rentel wind farm were constructed onshore and are currently stored in the port of Ostend. There, the different components of the tower were assembled into one tower. This means that a construction kit consisting of a tower, a nacelle and three rotor blades is created for each wind turbine. This is necessary to facilitate the installation at sea.

Nathalie Oosterlinck, CEO Rentel: “The kick-off for the offshore installation of our wind turbines is the start of the last phase of the construction process. I wish all crew members of the “Sea Installer” a safe trip and hope that the installation will go smoothly.”

Power plant at sea
Rentel is a wind farm situated in the Belgian North Sea, approximately 40 kilometres off the coast of Ostend. It consists of 42 wind turbines with a total capacity of 309 MW and will provide 300,000 households with green energy every year. The wind energy generated by Rentel will contribute to achieving the Belgian climate targets for 2020 and to securing our energy supply for the future.

Nathalie Oosterlinck, CEO Rentel: “Our 42 wind turbines are a power plant at sea that will generate as much energy as half a nuclear plant. This will result in a new increase in the proportion of offshore wind energy in the Belgian energy mix, and will allow us to come another step closer to the conversion to renewable energy.”

Philippe De Backer: “Our country is a pioneer in the field of offshore wind energy. We are internationally renowned for our innovations. What we are doing in the North Sea is fantastic. And the best is yet to come. The wind turbines in the North Sea are the ideal solution to provide us with green and renewable energy. That is why we are doubling the capacity. The North Sea is a crucial partner for the conversion to more green energy. That’s something I am certain of.”

Visit the wind turbines during Open Yard Day

On Sunday, May 6th, 2018, the site of the Rentel wind farm in the port of Ostend will be accessible to the general public. Between 10 am and 5 pm, visitors will be given the opportunity to discover the components of the wind turbines at their own pace and to learn how a wind farm is constructed in the open sea. Visits to the site are free of charge. No registration is needed. Sturdy footwear is recommended. You can find more information at www.rentel.be/openwervendag.

About Rentel

Rentel NV is part of the Otary partnership, which unites numerous Belgian specialists in the field of renewable energy on an equal basis. The partners include investment and development companies Green Offshore and Power @ Sea, dredging and naval engineering expert DEME and the green players Aspiravi and Elicio. The Walloon environmental holding company SRIW Environment and the Flemish and Walloon energy and public utility companies Z-Kracht/Nuhma and Socofe are also shareholders of the company. In addition to the Rentel concession, Otary holds a concession for the construction of the future Seastar offshore wind farm and is part of the consortium that is developing the Mermaid offshore wind farm.