Despite being operational since the end of 2020, the SeaMade offshore wind farm was officially inaugurated on Wednesday by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Minister of the North Sea of Belgium Vincent Van Quickenborne, and Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten.
The site comprises 58 turbines with a total capacity of 487 megawatts – enough to provide clean energy for around 485,000 Belgian households. The project fuses previously separate wind farms and is managed by Otary, a Belgian partnership for sustainable offshore energy.
De Croo drew attention to Belgium's already flourishing wind sector; per capita, Belgium has the second-highest offshore wind production of any country. Furthermore, the Federal Government plans to continue expansion by tripling wind production in the North Sea.
Details of the SeaMade project. Credit: Otary.
To do this, the Princess Élisabeth wind energy zone will exceed the forecast two gigawatt capacity to produce 3.5 gigawatts. This will be in addition to the 2.26 gigawatts already operating in the area.
"We aim to provide green energy to every household in Belgium," De Croo declared.
