SGS Statutory Services Belgium Accredited as Authorized Inspection Organization (AIO)

Nov. 26, 2009 - PRLog -- Belgium is at the forefront of installing offshore wind farms and is among the first European Union (EU) member states to operate large offshore wind farms in the North Sea.

Since 2003, SGS Statutory Services Belgium (SGS SSB) has been an Authorized Inspection Body in the Walloons and Flemish markets for onshore installations. With the increasing development of offshore wind farms in the Belgian North Sea, SGS SSB (http://www.be.sgs.com/industrial_be?lobId=80723) decided to become also an authorized inspection body for offshore wind farms.

On October 16, 2009, SGS SSB was finally accredited as Authorized Inspection Organization (AIO) by the Belgian Federal Minister of Energy, for the certification of Belgian offshore installations for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources. The accreditation required intensive training of SGS inspectors and passing a technical audit performed by the Belgian Accreditation Body (BELAC).

SGS SSB is proud to be now in a position to inspect and certify offshore installations. After verifying that the installations meet all technical requirements, SGS SSB provides a certificate which indicates how much electricity is generated by the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). This certificate is required by the wind farm operator to obtain green certificates from the Regulation Commission for Electricity and Gas.

The green certificates were recently implemented by the European Union as an incentive system in order to support the reduction of greenhouse gases. A green certificate is a tradable commodity and signifies that certain electricity is generated using renewable energy sources. Several countries, including Belgium, use green certificates as a means to drive the support of green electricity generation closer to a market economy instead of bureaucratic investment support.

SGS Wind Energy Services

SGS Wind Energy Services provides verification, inspection, testing and certification worldwide for onshore and offshore wind farm projects, in order to improve project viability and to enhance the quality of wind farms. The services offered by SGS encompass the entire project lifecycle of wind turbines ranging from Project Feasibility Assessments and Wind Farm Project Certification (http://www.wind.sgs.com/wind_farm_project_certification), to Risk Management, Review of Maintenance Management Programs and Condition Monitoring. Recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity, the strength of SGS comes from its experienced staff who have the requisite technical expertise in wind energy technology.

For more information please contact:

SGS Industrial Services
SGS Statutory Services Belgium

Guy Franssens
Marketing & Sales Manager

Website: www.sgs.com/wind

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The SGS Group is the global leader and innovator in inspection, verification, testing and certification services. Founded in 1878, with more than 56,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,000 offices and laboratories around the world.