October 1st 2017, the Rentel offshore wind concession brought its export cable ashore in Zeebruges. This cable will transport the energy induced on the Rentel windfarm to shore. With the landfall of this export cable, Rentel will be the first windfarm connected to the new high voltage station “Stevin”, in Zeebruges.
The cable, with a length of 40 kilometers, was placed within a dredged trench on the seabed by a cable laying vessel. A cable laying barge took over in the shallow waters 6 kilometer before the coast and brought the cable ashore. The installation of the last 450 meters of cable on the beach was done by means of mobile cranes. Dredgers filled the trench, thus burying the cable in the seabed.
The Rentel project is located approximately 40 km from Ostend, and is the fifth offshore windproject in the Belgian North Sea. It will comprise 42 Siemens turbines and will deliver renewable energy to 300.000 households. The windfarm should be operational by mid-2018. The coast guard partners monitor the developments in the working group windfarms.