MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, the Danish manufacturer of wind turbines has been established in the Port Ostend since 2013 and today they are officially opening their new office location in the presence of the Danish ambassador Karsten Vagn Nielsen, the new mayor of Ostend Bart Tommelein and alderman of the port Charlotte Verkeyn.
“Because we will be servicing no less than 244 wind turbines at sea from the port of Ostend by 2020, we were in urgent need of expansion. This new location offers room for our new employees. Meanwhile we now have over 100 employees in our Belgian branch,” says Aart Bark, regional director MHI Vestas Belgium.
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind is an established company in the offshore wind industry in the Port of Ostend. The MVOW turbines in the current Belgian wind farms are operated by Parkwind: Northwind (72 turbines), Belwind (55 turbines) and Nobelwind (50 turbines). There are 44 wind turbines scheduled to be built in early 2019 at the Norther wind farm and Northwester II is planned for later in 2019, with a further 23 turbines of no less than 9.5 MW. MHI Vestas Offshore Wind will monitor and maintain 244 wind turbines of different production capacities from Port Ostend by 2020.
Bart Tommelein, mayor of Ostend: “Ostend is the location for everything concerning ‘Blue energy’. From the installation and maintenance of the wind farms to scientific research and commercialisation of new techniques. Today we are taking another step in the further expansion of our city as a centre for renewable energy. This is not only good news for the economy in and around Ostend, but as a city we are also contributing to the achievement of our climate objectives together with the companies.”
