Eneco, Ocean Winds, and Otary have formed a strategic partnership to jointly compete in the tender for the offshore wind Princess Elisabeth concessions in Belgium.
The consortium, subject to all required regulatory and competition approvals, 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.
“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, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE dedicated to offshore wind energy.
“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," added Mathias Verkest, CEO at Otary.