Belgium Wants Bigger Second Offshore Wind Zone

Belgium’s Secretary for the North Sea Philippe De Backer has proposed an increase of the country’s planned 221km² offshore wind zone by additional 60km².

The 221km² offshore wind zone, identified in the country’s new Maritime Spatial Plan in April, is located near the French border and would allow the development of 2GW of offshore wind capacity post-2020.

According to De Backer, by expanding the new wind farm zone and having the turbines installed farther apart the energy production price will drop, making the projects possible without subsidies.

The Secretary also announced he is currently working on a new financing system, which will include a public tender for the development of offshore wind.

“Our North Sea is small, but by clever use of space we can make maximum use of green, affordable energy,” De Backer said.

“We are going to make a public tender, so we will ask the market who is able to build those wind farms at the best price. In this way, I am convinced that in time we will be able to build wind farms in the sea without subsidies. This way we always guarantee the best price for the consumer.”

The space proposed in the Maritime Spatial Plan was primarily reserved for a fishing zone, but the plan was rejected, allowing it to become an offshore wind zone.

Currently, there is a 225km² offshore wind zone off the coast of Zeebrugge with a 1.2GW capacity.

The 219MW Northwester 2 offshore wind farm, as well as the 235MW Mermaid and the 252MW Seastar, merged into the Seamade project, are being developed in the first zone and expected to be commissioned in 2020.

The projects built in the new zone will increase Belgium’s operating offshore wind capacity to 4GW by 2030, providing half of the country’s households with renewably sourced electricity.