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Wind power in Belgium

Wind power in Belgium has seen significant advancements, starting with the generation of electricity from offshore wind farms in 2009. By 2020, the capacity of these offshore farms reached 2,262 megawatts (MW), matching the combined output of Belgium's largest nuclear reactors, Doel 4 and Tihange 3. Concurrently, the development of on-shore wind energy, which remained minimal until 2004, experienced significant growth, with installed capacity and production doubling annually from 96 MW in 2004 to 2,476.1 MW by 2021.[1] The percentage of electricity demand met by wind grew to about 14.4% by 2020.[2]

Wind turbine in the Thorntonbank Wind Farm.

Wind power depends partially on regional governments (Brussels-Capital Region, Flemish Region, Walloon Region) and partially on the Belgian federal government. Wind energy producers in both the Flemish and Walloon regions get green certificates but not with the same conditions.[citation needed]

As of 2021, Belgium was ranked sixth worldwide in offshore wind capacity, a notable accomplishment considering the constrained size of its territorial waters.[3]

Installed capacity and generation

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Wind power installed capacity (MW) and generation (GWh) in Belgium.[4]
Year Offshore Land-based Total electricity generation all sources (GWh) Total wind generation (GWh) Electrical generation met by wind (%)*
Capacity (MW) Generation (GWh) Capacity (MW) Generation (GWh)
2000 14 16 84,012 16 0.02%
2001 26 37 79,821 37 0.05%
2002 31 57 82,069 57 0.07%
2003 67 88 84,643 88 0.10%
2004 96 142 85,025 142 0.17%
2005 167 227 87,025 227 0.26%
2006 212 366 85,617 366 0.43%
2007 276 491 88,822 491 0.55%
2008 324 637 84,930 637 0.75%
2009 30 82 577 914 91,235 996 1.09%
2010 197 190 716 1,102 95,189 1,292 1.36%
2011 197 709 873 1,603 90,241 2,312 2.56%
2012 381 854 989 1,897 82,923 2,751 3.32%
2013 708 1,540 1,084 2,147 83,526 3,687 4.41%
2014 708 2,216 1,222 2,398 72,687 4,614 6.35%
2015 712 2,613 1,517 2,855 68,138 5,468 8.02%
2016 712 2,340 3,048 ~82,500 5,338 6.47%
2017 877 2,645 3,644 ~82,900 6,289 7.59%
2018 1,186 3,408 3,196 ~69,200 6,604 9.54%
2019 1,556 4,645 2,278 3,474
2020 2,262 ~6,700 2,408 ~4,100
* Based on table without other adjustments.

Wind turbines are installed offshore and onshore, mainly in the Flemish and in the Walloon Regions. Brussels-Capital Region is an urban area which is not particularly suited for large wind turbines. Smaller turbines more appropriate for urban environments are being studied but until today no technology is deemed sufficiently efficient.[5]

Offshore wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea

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See also: List of offshore wind farms in Belgium and List of offshore wind farms in the North Sea

List of offshore wind farms

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Offshore wind power current and future installations by project, 2023[6]
Project name Nameplate capacity (MW) Turbines Date operational Depth range (m) Distance to shore (km)
Thorntonbank (C-Power) 325 6 × REpower 5M126 5MW
30 × REpower 6.2M126 6.15MW
18 × REpower 6.2M126 6.15MW 		2009 (phase 1)
2012 (phase 2)
2013 (phase 3) 		14–28 30
Belwind (Bligh Bank phase 1) 171 55 × Vestas V90-3MW
1 × Alstom Haliade 150 6MW 		2010 (Vestas)
2013 (Haliade) 		15–37 49
Northwind 216 72 × Vestas V112-3MW 2014 16–29 37
Nobelwind (Bligh Bank phase 2) 165 50 × Vestas V112-3.3MW 2017 26–38 47
Rentel 309 42 × Siemens SWT-7.0-154 7.35MW 2018 22–36 34
Norther 370 44 × MHI Vestas V164-8.4MW 2019 20–35 23
Northwester 2 219 23 × MHI Vestas V164-9.5MW 2020 25–40 51
SeaMade (Mermaid) 235 28 × Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD 8.4MW 2020 24.4–39.5 54
SeaMade (Seastar) 168 20 × Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD 8.4MW 2020 22–38 40
Total operational capacity 2262 399 from End 2020
 
Offshore wind farm locations (interactive map)

Overview of offshore sector

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Belgium initiated its offshore wind energy sector in 2003 by planning the nation's first wind farm in the North Sea. By 2004, a 156-square kilometer area within Belgium's Exclusive Economic Zone was allocated for wind farm development.[3]

By 2020, Belgium had eight active offshore wind power projects totalling 399 turbines and 2262 MW of power, contributing 6.73 TWh.[7] Offshore wind energy in the Belgian North Sea amounted to an installed capacity of 2,262 MW, which can produce an average of 8 TWh annually at 38% capacity factor, or around 10% of total electricity demand.

In 2021, the wind resource was less than usual, contributing 6.77 TWh (8% of the total demand of 84.4 TWh). The capacity factor (cf) was 34.4%.[7]

The distance of the projects from shore typically range from 23 to 54 km, and the bathymetry of the water indicates the turbines will be based in waters typically between 14 and 40 meters deep.[8] Some of the wind farms are connected via the Modular Offshore Grid.[9]

The International Energy Agency (IEA) noted Belgium's significant offshore wind energy development, ranking it sixth globally in 2021. Anticipating the nuclear phase-out by 2025, Belgium introduced a EUR 1.2 billion plan to secure electricity and reduce emissions, focusing on expanding offshore wind and providing incentives for renewable energy solutions.[10]

Active projects

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C-Power

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C-Power (Thorntonbank) was the first wind farm operational in the Belgian North Sea. Its first construction phase was completed in May 2009.[11] This phase was a demonstration phase, with the installation of 6 turbines of 5 MW (= 30 MW).[12] The construction of the second and the third phases was finalized in September 2013.[13] A total of 48 turbines of 6.15 MW were installed during thoses two phases (= 295.2 MW).[12] C-Power has therefore a total of 54 turbines, with a combined capacity of 325.2 MW. The turbines generate around 1050 GWh per year, which can provide electricity to 300.000 homes.[14]

Belwind

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Belwind (Bligh Bank Offshore Wind Farm) is a project by Parkwind NV. The Belwind wind farm has an installed capacity of 165 MW, which can provide electricity to 160.000 homes, and is operational since December 2010.[15]

Northwind

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Northwind is a project by Parkwind NV located on the Lodewijk Bank and has a total of 72 turbines of 3MW each, with a combined capacity of 216 MW. It was commissioned in May 2014 and can provide electricity to 250.000 homes.[15]

Nobelwind

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Nobelwind is a project by Parkwind NV. The Nobelwind wind farm was completed in May 2017 and is fully operational since December 2017.[16] With its 50 windturbines of 3,3 MW each, the farm has a combined capacity of 165 MW, which can provide electricity to 160.000 homes.[15]

Rentel

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Rentel is a project by Otary RS. The Rentel wind farm has a total of 42 turbines of 7.35 MW each, with a combined capacity of 309 MW.[17] It was commissioned in September 2018 and can provide electricity to 300.000 homes.[18] Its transformer platform also carries electricity from SeaMade and Northwester 2.[19]

Norther

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The Norther wind farm has a total of 44 Vestas turbines with a 370 MW total capacity. The Norther wind project is operational since 2019.[20]

Northwester 2

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Northwester 2 is a project by Parkwind NV. The Northwester 2 wind farm comprises 23 Vestas V164 turbines with a 219 MW capacity. The project reached full production in May 2020.[21]

SeaMade

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SeaMade is a project by Otary RS. The SeaMade wind farm is the result of the merger of the former Seastar and Mermaid projects. It consists therefore of two zones, the Seastar zone and the Mermaid zone, and 58 Siemens turbines with a capacity of 487 MW. The Seamade wind turbines started producing green energy end 2020.[22]

Historical data Flemish region

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Year Capacity (MW)[23][24] Number of turbines[23]
1999 1 1
2001 4 3
2002 11 8
2003 22 14
2004 38 23
2005 84 47
2006 105 59
2007 126 69
2008 148 80
2009 203 111
2010 220 119
2011 312 160
2012 389 195
2012 389 195
2013 436 216
2014 567 275
2015 776 363
2016 901 413
2017 1113 486
2018 1203 518
2019 1278 543
2020 1361 573
2021 1543 619
2022 1748 672
2023 1826 698

At the end of 2022 there were 672 operational onshore wind turbines with a combined capacity of 1748MW.[25] The wind turbines are installed in small groups throughout the region, often along highways or canals and in industrial or agricultural areas. The operators of these wind farms are diverse. Some are operated by companies that specialize in wind power, others by traditional electricity producers. Several are operated by cooperatives. Finally a few are operated by organisations with a different core business as part of a Corporate social responsibility strategy.[23]

Installed capacity per province (as of 2022):[26]

Historical data Walloon Region

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Wind farm in Estinnes.
Year Capacity (MW) Number of turbines Estimated annual

production (GWh)

2005 49.2 35 71
2006 72.5 49 126
2007 122.9 77 209
2008 161.5 98 297
2009 319.7 158 498
2010 441.6 202 704
2011 524.0 241 1032
2012 562.6 251 1198
2013 599.3 271 1239
2014 639.7 285 1330
2015 675.1 305 1504
2016 737.1 329 1408
2017 835.4 366 1567
2018 909.3 395 1360
2019 1036.0 440 1534
2020 1050.0 n/a n/a
2021 1144.0 n/a n/a
2022 1242.0 n/a n/a

sources:[27]

This region is home to the largest turbines in Belgium. The Windvision (operated by China General Nuclear) wind farm near Estinnes houses 11 Enercon E-126 turbines each with a total height of 198.5 metres and a generation power of 6 MW. As part of the EU demonstration project 7MW-WEC-by-11, ten turbines have been upgraded to 7.5 MW.[28][29]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wind power in Belgium.

References

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  1. ^ "Belgium". IEA Wind TCP. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  2. ^ "Belgium 2022 - Energy Policy Review" (PDF). International Energy Agency.
  3. ^ a b "Belgium". IEA Wind TCP. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  4. ^ "p91 IEA Wind Annual Report for 2015, "Energy Observatorium, Federal Public Service of Economy"".
  5. ^ "Windturbines" (PDF). Brussels Instituut voor Milieubeheer.
  6. ^ "Projects". Belgian Offshore Platform. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  7. ^ a b Durakovic, Adnan (6 January 2022). "Belgian Offshore Wind Farms Underperform as Lower Wind Speeds Hit". Offshore Wind. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Wind farms in Belgian North Sea provided green power for nearly 2 million Belgian households in 2021". belgianoffshoreplatform.be. 4 January 2022.
  9. ^ Skopljak, Nadja (11 September 2019). "Elia Inaugurates Its Modular Offshore Grid". Offshore Wind.
  10. ^ "Belgium needs to build on success with offshore wind to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, new IEA policy review says - News". IEA. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  11. ^ "Overview Phase 1". C-Power offshore windfarm on the Thorntonbank.
  12. ^ a b "Windfarm layout & specifications". c-power.be.
  13. ^ "Overview Phase 2&3". C-Power offshore windfarm on the Thorntonbank.
  14. ^ "Project details". C-Power offshore windfarm on the Thorntonbank.
  15. ^ a b c "Parkwind - We believe in a sustainable future". Parkwind.
  16. ^ "Nobelwind". parkwind.eu.
  17. ^ "Rentel Offshore Wind Farm | About". www.rentel.be. Archived from the original on 2017-12-11.
  18. ^ "OSTEND (BE) | Offshore installation Rentel wind turbines completed - Detail - Rentel". rentel.be. Archived from the original on 2019-01-08.
  19. ^ Foxwell, David (2019-09-11). "Royal visit sees Belgian power hub inaugurated". Riviera Maritime Media.
  20. ^ "Home". Norther.
  21. ^ "Northwester 2 Goes into Full Operation". 14 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Turbine installation at Belgium's largest offshore wind farm crosses the finish line". Otary.
  23. ^ a b c "SECTORFEDERATIE VOOR WINDENERGIE". Ode.
  24. ^ "Energiekaart". www.vlaanderen.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  25. ^ no-reply@news.ode.be, Ode-. "Windsector bouwt 55 nieuwe windturbines in 2022". Ode (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  26. ^ no-reply@news.ode.be, Ode-. "cijfers". Ode (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  27. ^ "Accueil". Energie Commune.
  28. ^ "Enercon E-126" (PDF). Elia. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  29. ^ "Pilot Demonstration of Eleven 7MW-Class WEC at Estinnes in Belgium". WIP Munich. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
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