On Thursday June 4th 2015, the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the KU Leuven and the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Ghent organize a seminar which offers an overview of the current developments in the Belgian Offshore Wind industry.

On the Belgian part of the North Sea, there are 182 windmills active spread over three wind farms. Their production equals that of a small nuclear power plant (712 megawatt) and is equivalent to the annual consumption of 600.000 households. The capacity of this Belgian part will triple with the construction of five new wind farms during the next years. The realization of these offshore wind farms will provide new and additional opportunities for local companies to contribute towards the development of this sector, by providing expertise, equipment, services, finance and operational support for Offshore Wind Power development activities in Belgium.

The successful development of the offshore wind energy sector needs the availability of skilled staff and so, to professional training and qualification opportunities. KU Leuven and Ghent University are currently developing a Continuing Study Programme in Offshore Wind Energy. It will be organized as a part-time study programme for professionals with an academic background.

This seminar is an introduction to the Study Programme in Offshore Wind Energy, which starts in September 2015. It will give an overview in fields such as offshore wind energy technology, grid integration & operation and maintenance. Experts, researchers, industry and university representatives will share their experiences and information on these topics.

Target group: The seminar is open to all people with some technical background and with interest for offshore wind. The participants will find in this seminar an overview of the technology as it is applied in the field of Offshore Wind Energy.