"Vents de Dunkerque" Consortium Announces its Members and its Intention to Submit a Bid for the Dunkirk Offshore Wind Farm at the European Energy Transition Conference (January 22-24 - Dunkirk)

BLENDECQUES, France, Jan. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Eneco, Boralex, Van Oord and Diamond Generating Europe Limited (DGE), 4 pure play renewable energy companies, are joining forces in the "Vents de Dunkerque" consortium for an innovative project.

The European Energy Transition Conference is an opportunity for the "Vents de Dunkerque" consortium to announce its members' names for the first time and highlight its skills and expertise for this call for tenders, which is intended to make France a leader in marine renewable energy. Following approval of the first six farms located on the Normandy and Loire coasts, Dunkirk was selected in April 2016 to become the seventh French wind farm in the third call for tenders.

• A consortium made up of pure play renewable energy experts with complementary skills

In their respective areas of expertise, each member is an experienced leader in the renewable energy sector. Eneco is a major renewable energy player in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and in the UK and has 15 years of experience developing and building large-scale offshore wind farms. Boralex complements Eneco's expertise in managing renewable energy assets and has local roots in Hauts de France and knowledge of the French market. Van Oord has a highly specialized fleet with a great capacity for innovation in offshore wind equipment and extensive knowledge of maritime regulations and risks at sea. DGE, a fully owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, generates energy projects and distribution activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. With offices in the Netherlands and Dubai, this UK-based company has made significant investments in offshore wind farms, with a gross installed capacity of 2 GW.

Eneco, Van Oord and DGE (Mitsubishi Corporation) have previously worked together on 3 offshore wind farms such as Borssele III/IV (Netherlands), Luchterduinen (Netherlands) and Norther (Belgium).

The "Vents de Dunkerque" consortium is strategically positioned to win this call for tenders due to its various strengths:

• The consortium is made up of players specialized in renewable energy production;
• The consortium players are experts with a complete range of expertise (development, construction and operation);
• The consortium has more than 2,600 MW in construction and operation in Western Europe;
• The consortium has 15 years of experience in offshore wind energy along with 17 years of presence in the Hauts-de-France region, enabling it to combine the best international standards with a local presence.
• The consortium brings a longstanding track record in putting local stakeholder management and community engagement at the heart of our development.
• The consortium connects offshore wind renewable energy production to long-term customers with the aim of pushing the energy transition from the demand side.

"Vents de Dunkerque": competitiveness, reliability and sustainability

This project draws on our three key strengths:

• Competitiveness: By presenting an attractive offer based on our combined experience and successful track record in tendering processes.
• Reliability: "Vents de Dunkerque" has a wealth of successful experiences in the North Sea in developing, building and operating offshore wind farms, including the Princess Amalia Offshore Wind Farm (Netherlands, commissioned in 2015). The consortium was also awarded the Norther Wind Farm (Belgium), Luchterduinen (Netherlands) and Borssele III + IV (Netherlands), which provide an ambitious response to the specific issues of the Dunkirk project. It has proven its ability to finance complex projects in a regulated economy and to deliver these projects on time and on budget.
• Sustainability: Our commitment to leaving a positive footprint on the Dunkirk coast through an eco-friendly approach that is adapted to the environment.

Learn more about our partners:

The market leader in Canada, BORALEX is France's largest independent producer of wind power. As an integrated operator and sole owner of its assets, the company operates nearly 900 MW in France (1,919MW worldwide) and is active throughout the value chain: development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of sites.

A pioneer in the offshore wind industry, ENECO has been actively developing and operating offshore wind farms in Western Europe since 2008. The group, which operates offshore wind farms in the Netherlands and Belgium, has an operating asset portfolio of over 1,000 MW, with a growth path of 2,000 MW in the coming years.

One of the leaders in offshore wind farm construction, VAN OORD brings know-how and high value-added engineering expertise by carrying out all of its engineering inhouse and by integrating cutting-edge offshore technology. Van Oord owns construction vessels with modern equipment and has extensive knowledge of maritime regulations and risks.

A fully owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, DGE specializes in power generation in the EMEA region and is involved in the construction and development of over 3,700 MW of marine renewable energy.

"Vents de Dunkerque" consortium at the European Energy Transition Conference

During this three-day Conference, the 4 partners in the "Vents de Dunkerque" consortium will have a particularly innovative booth displaying its image and highlighting the consortium's strengths for the Dunkirk offshore wind farm project.

The Vents de Dunkerque booth at the Conference: a concrete illustration of an innovative project

A booth lit by the sea! To evoke offshore wind, the light produced on the booth will come from a natural bacterium found in a bioluminescent squid grown in the laboratory. In a space plunged into darkness, visitors and the press will be able to meet consortium members for the first time. The scenography was designed to create a tour, presenting both the consortium companies as well as the strengths represented by this association of pure play renewal energy stakeholders.

An eco-designed booth. To minimize the environmental impact of its booth, Vents de Dunkerque used a reusable modular structure. The bacteria produced for the event will be reclaimed and the furniture reused for future events.

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SOURCE Boralex Inc.