Wind Energy in Belgium
2022 wind energy numbers
In 2023, the federal government began planning the first Belgian offshore wind farm in the North Sea. In 2004, the government created a 156-km² area in the Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in international waters for wind farms. The first wind turbines were installed in this area in 2009.
All eight wind farms in the Belgian North Sea have been fully operational since December 2020. This means 2022 is the second year with fully installed generation capacity for the Belgian North Sea power plant.
To read more about Belgium’s wind energy sector in 2022, read their chapter in the 2022 Annual Report.
National Targets
By the end of 2022, Belgium’s total land-based installed capacity had reached 2476,1 MW. In 2022, the 399 wind turbines, spread over nine offshore zones, produced approximately 6.77 TWh. This corresponds to the annual electricity demand of almost 2 million households, or 8% of the total electricity demand in Belgium. Regarding offshore wind power, the transmission system operator (TSO), Elia, is obligated to buy green certificates from generators at a minimum price set by federal legislation. This system was established in 2002 and amended in 2014 and 2016. The regulator, CREG, must approve purchase agreements. Purchase obligations apply for 22 years but may not exceed the depreciation period.
Progress & Operational Details
Offshore wind-generated electricity began in 2009 and progressed rapidly to 2,262 MW in 2020, comparable to the capacity of the two largest nuclear reactors (Doel 4 and Tihange 3) combined. Land-based wind capacity remained low until 2004 when the installed capacity and production started to double year after year from 96 MW in 2004 to 2476,1 MW in 2022.
National RDD Priorities and Budget
Several key technologies that Belgium wants to invest in for the future have been put forward via the Steering Group of the SET-Plan. With some research projects like GREDOR or SmartWater in the Walloon Region, Belgium is developing services that will ease the future integration of a larger share of wind energy by modernizing the electric grid and offering capacity for clearly tailored storage. The Flemish Region supports RD&D in offshore- and land-based wind via several projects. In 2022, the cluster Innovative Business Networks (IBN) Offshore Energy project (embedded in OWI-Lab [1], the Belgian RD&I expertise collaboration in onshore and offshore wind setup in 2017) initiated, set up and executed multiple RD&I projects in offshore wind power.