Elia has submitted applications for the initial permits to lay offshore electricity cables and build a manmade island, called Alpha, in the North Sea (approx. 45 km from Zeebrugge) to the Minister responsible for the marine environment and to the State Secretary for Energy (FPS Economy).
The Belgian Offshore Grid (BOG) entails constructing a subsea high-voltage grid to connect the planned wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea with the highvoltage grid at Zeebrugge on the mainland (Stevin project). The Stevin line will ensure safe electricity transmission within Belgium from the offshore wind farms and the subsea line connecting Belgium with the UK. The permit applications are a key step in the process of establishing an offshore grid to connect the planned Norther, Rentel, Seastar, Mermaid and Northwester II wind farms to the mainland.
Up to now, each of the existing C-Power, Northwind and Belwind wind farms have had their own separate connection to the onshore grid. Elia would like to move away from this type of ‘spaghetti scenario’ involving multiple cables by developing a meshed grid in the North Sea. This will involve the wind farms being connected to offshore high-voltage substations.
Source: Elia