Belgium Breezes Past Denmark in Offshore Wind Capacity Rankings

Belgium has surpassed Denmark in terms of the installed offshore wind capacity and is now ranked fourth in the world, Belgian Offshore Platform (BOP) said.

Following the commissioning of the 219 MW Northwester 2 wind farm in May, Belgium now has 1,775 MW of installed offshore wind capacity, compared to Denmark’s 1,703 MW.

The United Kingdom is at the top of the list with 10,428 MW of installed capacity, Germany is second with 7,659 MW, and China third with 7,000 MW.

With its 1,775 MW production capacity, wind power in the Belgian North Sea provides the equivalent of the electricity consumption of 1.8 million homes, BOP said.

If you compare the national installed capacity to the number of inhabitants, Belgium comes third, after Denmark and the UK. Belgium has 0.156 kW offshore wind capacity per inhabitant, whereas the United Kingdom, the number one worldwide in absolute numbers, has 0.158 kW offshore wind capacity per inhabitant.

With this ranking, Belgium is in the top three worldwide and in Europe in terms of installed capacity per inhabitant, BOP said.

By the end of 2020, when the 497 MW SeaMade, the largest wind farm in the Belgian North Sea, becomes operational, Belgium will reach an installed capacity of 2,262 MW and an electricity production equivalent to the consumption of 2.2 million homes.