The Renewable Energy Base Oostende (REBO) and wind turbine manufacturer Alstom signed a long-term cooperation. In the agreement both parties have to cooperate closely for the construction of Alstom wind turbines in the Belgian wind farms.
Alstom rents, initially, 95 m² office space and 58 m² of storage space for a period of 10 years. Additionally they hire 2.778m ² land on the terminal Rebo for a period of 3 months. On 15th November 2012 the activities will begin. They will start with 10 people to eventually employ 40 people. It is envisaged that the activities gradually expand to more wind farms.
The first activity is the construction of the ‘Haliade’ of the Rebo site in the Port of Oostende. The ‘Haliade’ is a direct drive wind turbine of 6 MW that will be installed in the wind farm Belwind II as part of a demonstration project for its offshore certification. With a rotor diameter of 150 meters, the ‘Haliade’ is one of the largest offshore wind turbines in the world. The installation, connection and maintenance of this machine bring many challenges.
The Rebo terminal is a suitable logistics hub for this complicated process and therefore Rebo and Alstom signed a cooperation agreement in the long term. The Belgian companies (Deme, GeoSea, Saerens, CMI …) are also partners in this project. They demonstrate the expertise of an industry that clearly has its place in the European market.
[mappress]
Press release, November 22, 2012; Image: Port of Oostende