Following the recent installation of the first offshore wind turbine generator at the Seamade offshore wind project in Belgium, the turbine has now started producing electricity.
SeaMade is a 487,2 MW offshore wind concession in the Belgian North Sea. Once complete, it will be Belgium's largest offshore wind farm.
The project is the result of a merger between the two concession zones Mermaid and Seastar. It was founded by Otary; a consortium of 8 Belgian shareholders.
Otary announced via social media on Thursday that the first turbine was now up and running.
It said: "At SeaMade offshore wind farm the 1st wind turbine is up and running! Producing green energy for the Belgian community! SeaMade offshore wind farm will contribute to the Belgian climate targets and the country’s future energy supply. A big thank you to a most committed, dedicated team and contractors for achieving another milestone."
The SeaMade project - located 40-51 km north of the Ostend headquarters - will be the 7th offshore wind project in the Belgian North Sea.
This new offshore power station will consist of 58 SGRE (Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy) turbines.
SeaMade will be fully operational by the end of 2020 and will produce enough electricity to power 485,000 Belgian homes annually.
With the installation of Northwester 2 wind farm in May Belgium reached 1,775 MW installed capacity, surpassing Denmark as 4th largest offshore wind energy producer worldwide.
The frontrunners are the United Kingdom with 10,428 MW, followed by Germany with 7,659 MW and by China with around 7,000 MW. Denmark followed with 1,703 MW until May 2020, but Belgium has recently reached 1,775 MW, becoming number four worldwide, third in Europe.
Watch the recording of World Energy Report's Offshore Wind Webinar "Outlook for Offshore Wind Power: The Frontier of Future Energy"