Wind Energy – Belgium
The second zone for wind energy in the North Sea off the coast of Belgium is divided into three lots.
The allocation of these concessions should lead to an almost threefold increase in Belgian production capacity at sea.
At the request of Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten, the green light has been given to divide the Princess Elisabeth zone in the North Sea into three plots, one of 700 megawatts (MW) and two of 1,225 to 1,400 MW.
This means that production capacity in the North Sea can almost triple by the beginning of the next decade.
The current eight wind farms in the first zone of the North Sea together have a capacity of 2.2 gigawatts. Last year they generated almost 7 terawatt hours of electricity, or 8 percent of the Belgian consumption of households and companies together.
The three additional concessions in the second zone allow an additional 3.2 to 3.5 gigawatts to be put into use by 2030. Together, the turbines in the Belgian North Sea can then supply as much power as the annual consumption of all Belgian households.
