In October Japanese industrial group Sumitomo Corporation announced it has officially acquired shares in the two Belgian wind farms Belwind (39%) and Northwind (30%) from Parkwind NV, a joint venture by Colruyt Group, Korys, the investment holding of the Colruyt family, and the Flemish investment fund PMV.
The 165MW Belwind project is located on the Bligh Bank approximately 46km off the coast of Belgium and has been operational since 2010. It consists of 55 Vestas V90 turbines on monopile foundations.
The 216MW Northwind project is located on the Lodewijk Bank, approximately 37km off the Belgian coast. The installation and commissioning of the 72 Vestas V112 turbines was completed this summer and are now all generating electricity.
The projects combined involved a total investment of around €1.5bn and provide electricity to approximately 370,000 households. For Sumito Corporation it is their first investment in European offshore wind projects. The company is also working with Parkwind and the Dutch cooperative Zeewind (who also has 20% of the shares in Belwind) on the development of the 165MW Nobelwind project near Belwind.