Belgium's largest windfarm breaks ground in North Sea

From Flanders Today: Works begin this month on Norther, which will become Belgium’s largest offshore windfarm when it begins operation late next year. The Nother project will include 44 wind turbines with a maximum capacity of 370 MW, enough to power 400,000 households.

Norther will be located 23 kilometres off the coast of Zeebrugge within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Belgium. Once completed it will stretch over 44 square kilometres.

Ostend-based renewable energy producer Elicio owns 50% of the project, with Dutch energy concern Eneco and London’s Diamond Generating Europe each owning another 25%.

The total cost of the farm is €1.2 billion. The European Investment Bank has provided a loan of €438 million to the project.

“We are extremely proud of how much we will contribute to Belgium’s climate goals for 2020 with this project,” said Dennis Sanou, Norther’s project director. Norther should be producing some 10% of all of Belgium’s energy needs by 2025.

Photo: The Thornton windfarm off the Flemish coast