Eneco signs PPA for 487-MW Belgian offshore wind project

Dutch utility Eneco, one of the shareholders in the 487-MW SeaMade cluster of offshore wind projects in Belgian waters, will buy the entire output of the complex, it said on Tuesday.

Eneco has sealed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for the output of the 252-MW Seastar and 235-MW Mermaid schemes, which are being developed as part of a single project by the SeaMade NV joint venture. The entity is 70%-owned by the Otary group, which gathers eight Belgian players, while Engie Electrabel owns 17.5% and Eneco Wind Belgium has the remaining 12.5%.

The EUR-1.3-billion (USD 1.48bn) SeaMade complex will be located off the coast at Zeebrugge, using 58 units of Siemens Gamesa’s SG 8.0-167 DD turbines. Construction of the two wind parks is scheduled to begin next year, with power generation starting in 2020. The combined output of the two plants is expected to meet the demand of 500,000 households.

Financial close for the project was achieved last week after the European Investment Bank (EIB) agreed to lend EUR 250 million in debt. Among the other lenders supporting the scheme are Danish export credit agency EKF, Santander, BNP Paribas, ING, KfW IPEX and Societe Generale.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.137)

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