Two Belgian global players in the spotlight

1. DEME OFFSHORE

DEME Offshore is the leading offshore wind farm contractor in the world, having installed more than 2,700 turbines over the last two decades. The company is part of DEME Group, with its wealth of experience in environmental remediation, dredging, marine infrastructure and concessions activities like renewable energy and green hydrogen. DEME provides solutions to global challenges such as reducing CO2 emissions, rising sea levels, growing population, pollution of water and soil and mineral scarcity.

A commitment to innovation pays off

DEME Offshore is a key contributor to both the Belgian and global value chains, providing support for existing wind farms and completing 'balance of plant' for offshore wind farms. This includes soil investigation, scour protection, and installation of foundations and cables, OSS (Offshore SubStations) and wind turbines. By making use of innovative technology, the company fulfils a vital role in supporting energy transitions and helping countries meet their climate goals.
 

Some recent projects include:

  • The installation of XXL monopiles on the Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea by the offshore installation vessel Orion in 2022. The installation of these monopiles on an offshore wind farm using a floating vessel was a world first.
  • Drilling an entire wind farm over the course of just 13 months into hard rocky soil at Saint-Nazaire in France using technology that was a first for industry. The project was completed six weeks ahead of schedule.
  • The installation of water intake and outfall heads for the Hinkley nuclear power plant in the UK, and the foundations, cables and wind turbines for the Kaskasi project in Germany.
  • The Coastal Virginia and Vineyard Wind projects will begin in 2023 in the US.  In 2023, the new offshore installation vessel Green Jade will be deployed in Taiwan to transport and install the Zhong Neng and Hai Long offshore wind projects. DEME Offshore's global reach is expanding.

    2. JAN DE NUL GROUP

    The Jan De Nul Group executes pioneering offshore energy projects and is continuously investing in new offshore installation vessels. Jan De Nul provides a range services for the offshore energy market. They install infrastructure such as power cables and wind turbines at sea, protect them from erosion and remove and replace them when necessary. This holistic approach from design through to execution seeks to provide a creative overall solution.

    Global interconnections

    The electrification of our society is moving forward at a rapid pace, resulting in an ever-increasing demand for efficient electricity transmission that spans borders and communities. To make this possible, Jan De Nul deploys its cable laying vessels to install offshore interconnectors between countries and regions around the world.

    Investing in innovation and a diversified installation fleet

    Innovation is the key to discovering new solutions to existing problems or simply to creating a better future. Creativity can make all the difference in complex and challenging projects. So Jan De Nul invested in a modern fleet, including two new vessels capable of installing increasingly large wind turbines and their foundations: Voltaire and Les Alizés.
     

    Projects demonstrating this creativity

    • Construction of the first three wind farms in Taiwan (Formosa 1, the TPC Pilot Project and Formosa 2) as the first European wind farm builder. This pioneering position is also being maintained on the Vineyard project off the coast of Massachusetts in the US.
    • Installation of four export cables running from the beach to 60 kilometres offshore for the Hollandse Kust Noord and West Alpha wind farms in 2022. Using a 'trenching' machine called Moonfish and developed in-house, the cables were buried up to eight metres deep. An important first that was also a success.
    • Jan De Nul will install a thousand kilometres of marine cables to electrify Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) islands off the coast of Abu Dhabi for the Lightning Project. This will reduce ADNOC's CO2 footprint by 30 per cent.
    • Completion of the NextGen installation vessels Voltaire and Les Alizés in late 2022 and early 2023. Both vessels are now on their way to their first respective projects:
      • Voltaire will work on the construction of Doggerbank in UK waters. On completion, this will be the largest wind farm in the world with 3,600 MW.
      • Les Alizés is tasked with the installation of more than a hundred foundations for Ørsted's German wind farms Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3.
    Engergy wind farm