The Board of Directors of the Belgian Offshore Platform (BOP) has appointed Annemie Vermeylen as Secretary-General of the BOP. She succeeds Lut Vande Velde, who has filled the post for the last two years but has now left the association to take on new challenges elsewhere.

Annemie Vermeylen has been active in the sector since the very earliest days of offshore wind energy development in Belgium (2001). As a specialist in international maritime law and renewable energy, she has filled a number of different positions during the past 15 years: as an expert for the federal government in matters relating to the protection of the marine environment; as a manager for the first offshore wind energy project, C-Power; as an adviser for the offshore wind projects of the Otary group; and, from 2012 to 2014, as the first secretary-general of the BOP, the function to which she is now returning.

“In spite of the relatively small area of sea available to Belgium as a nation, within a brief period of ten or so years the Belgian offshore wind energy sector has developed into a trendsetting player, not only in Europe but around the world. This is thanks to the vision and courage of a number of Belgian industrial investors, who continued to believe in the need to invest in the environmentally friendly and climate neutral generation of electricity at sea,” says Vermeylen. “However, we continue to face serious challenges, particularly in the areas of regulation and market conditions, if we wish to ensure that the planned wind energy projects are completed by 2020, an objective to which the Belgian government has committed itself,” adds Jean de Leu.

Jean de Leu, chairman of the Belgian Offshore Platform

Contact: Annemie Vermeylen

0478/500 115

The Belgian Offshore Platform (BOP) is an association of investors in offshore wind energy in Belgium.

Members: Aspiravi Offshore, Colruyt Group, C-Power Holdco, DEME, DHAM, Electrabel, Elicio, Elnu, Eneco Wind Belgium, Eoly, InControl, Zeewind/Meewind, Nuhma, Parkwind, PMV, Power@Sea, Rent-A-Port Energy, SOCOFE, SRIW Environnement, TTR Energy and Wagram Invest.