Eneco, Ocean Winds (the joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE) and Otary have announced the initention to participate in the in the tender for the offshore wind Princess Elisabeth concessions in Belgium.
The companies have formed a strategic partnership (subject to all required regulatory/competition approvals) for this purpose. Already partners in the country with the SeaMade offshore wind farm, successfully operating since end of 2020, the consortium brings together unparalleled expertise and experience in generating clean energy from offshore wind, while unlocking local opportunities and creating local jobs.
The consortium was formed to compete in the upcoming tenders for the Princess Elisabeth Zone (PEZ), that will be split into three lots: one for the development of a 700 MW offshore wind farm and two lots for the development of offshore wind farms each ranging from 1,225 to 1,400 MW. All offshore wind farms are located into areas that will allow for bottom fixed technology. The consortium plans to participate in each of the upcoming tenders for PEZ, the first one expected for 2025.
Preparatory work is already underway, including site assessments by the government and the construction of the Princess Elisabeth Island for the offshore grid connection by Elia. Nevertheless, significant work remains to ensure timely project realization, including the Ventilus and Boucle du Hainaut projects for the onshore grid reinforcement.
The tender process is anticipated to be highly competitive, with several leading global players competing for the concessions. Combining their strengths to participate in these tenders, the three companies say they can submit the most competitive bid and deliver state-of-the-art offshore wind farms.
“Ocean Winds is thrilled to partner once again with Otary and Eneco for the Princess Elisabeth offshore wind tenders. Our participation will be based on our international expertise and experience from our three operational offshore wind farms and four under construction, combined with Otary and Eneco’s local knowledge. We are looking forward to expanding the positive impacts of the successfully operating SeaMade wind farm to bring more clean energy from offshore wind for Belgium’s energy transition.” said Wouter Vandekerkhove, Country Manager Belgium and Netherlands for Ocean Winds. The joint venture has 1,5 GW of offshore wind energy already in operation and is currently building simultaneously another 2 GW in France and in the United Kingdom.
“The Princess Elisabeth tenders will be complex, based on the Belgian’s Government ambition to realize the new offshore wind farms on a very tight time schedule, at the lowest price for society and while grid infrastructure is still under development. As a Belgian company and offshore wind specialist, Otary wants to continue being at the forefront of our country’s energy transition. Our historical partnership with Ocean Winds and Eneco has been very successful and brings together the elements required by the government to be successful again on PEZ” said Mathias Verkest, CEO at Otary. Otary has been instrumental in developing offshore renewable energy in Belgium. Otary has an 800MW portfolio of operational projects. Leveraging its local presence and experience, Otary aims to submit the most competitive bid.
“With our One Planet Plan we act on a real ambition: becoming climate neutral by 2035. In order to do so we need to further speed up our investments in renewable energy”, said Miguel de Schaetzen, CEO Eneco Wind Belgium, which has more than 500 MW of onshore and offshore wind power capacity in Belgium. “Proud & grateful to being a part of this consortium with expert partners – whom we have a long-term relationship with – we reinforce Eneco’s leading position in the energy transition and we walk the talk: supplying all of our customers with 100% locally produced green electricity.”