Hogan Lovell OffshoreBook 2023 230809 OnlinePDF - Flipbook - Page 18
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3. PUBLIC LAW AND
REGULATORY PERMITS
REQUIRED FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION AND
OPERATION OF THE
OFFSHORE WIND FARM
AND THE ONSHORE
GRID CONNECTION22
The construction and operation of OWFs
and connections with the MOG or the transmission grid require a domain concession
from the Federal Minister of Energy. Up until
now, the request for the domain concession
for the construction and operation of OWFs
is filed with the Federal Minister of Energy.
The domain concession is granted by the
Minister for Energy. 23
The CREG and the TSO are required to
give advice on the technical details of the
domain concession request. The procedure
for granting the domain concession takes
approximately 245 working days.
The Minister’s decision is binding and exe-
Hogan Lovells
cutable as from its publication in the Belgian
State Gazette.24 Domain concessions can be
contested before the Council of State within
60 days following publication.25
The OWF also has to complete an environmental permit procedure. The environmental impact assessment is carried out
by the Scientific Service Management Unit
of the Mathematical Model of the North
Sea (MUMM Scientific Service) based on an
environmental impact report. On this basis,
the MUMM Scientific Service advises the
Belgian Minister responsible for the North
Sea on the expected environmental consequences. The permitting procedure takes
approximately 165 calendar days.
The Minister’s decision will be published
in the Belgian State Gazette. Permits can
be contested before the Council of State
within 60 days following publication. When
the domain concession has been granted
(see above), it remains suspended until any
additional required authorisation has been
granted. 26
22 It is to be noted that a submarine cable licence is also required (which will not be discussed in the scope of this edition) (reference is made in this
respect to the terms and conditions set out in the Royal Decree of 12 March 2002 on the detailed rules for installing cables entering the territorial sea or
the national territory or which are installed or used in connection with the exploration of the continental shelf, the exploitation of the mineral resources
and other non-living resources thereof or the activities of artificial islands, installations or structures under Belgian jurisdiction); C. Degreef and W. Geldhof, "Offshore energy and the Belgian legal framework: All at sea" in Tijdschrift voor het recht van netwerkindustrieën 2015 (showfile.aspx (kluwer.
be)); W. Vandorpe, D. Haverbeke en L. Pellens, ‘Belgische offshore windproductie – Tendering the way forward, maar hoe exact? Enkele aandachtspunten’
in Jaarboek energierecht 2020, K. Deketelaere en B. Delvaux (ed.), Intersentia, October 2021, 94.
23 Art. 4 Royal Decree of 20 December 2000 on the conditions and procedure for granting domain concessions for the construction and operation of
facilities for generating electricity from water, currents, or winds, in sea areas where Belgium can exercise jurisdiction in accordance with the international
law of the sea (Royal Decree of 20 December 2000).
24 Royal Decree of 20 December 2000; W. Vandorpe, D. Haverbeke en L. Pellens, "Belgische offshore windproductie – Tendering the way forward, maar
hoe exact? Enkele aandachtspunten" in Jaarboek energierecht 2020, K. Deketelaere en B. Delvaux (ed.), Intersentia, October 2021, 93.
25 "Application for annulment", published by the Council of State (Application - Annulment - Administrative litigation - proceedings - Council of State
(raadvst-consetat.be)).
26 Royal Decree of 7 September 2003 on the procedure for the authorisation and licensing of certain activities in sea areas under Belgian jurisdiction;
W. Vandorpe, D. Haverbeke en L. Pellens, "Belgische offshore windproductie – Tendering the way forward, maar hoe exact? Enkele aandachtspunten"
in Jaarboek energierecht 2020, K. Deketelaere en B. Delvaux (ed.), Intersentia, October 2021, 93; "Application for annulment", published by the Council
of State (Application - Annulment - Administrative litigation - proceedings - Council of State (raadvst-consetat.be)); "Note on the support mechanism
for the construction of offshore wind farms after 2020", published by the CREG on 20 December 2018 (Z1880NL.pdf (creg.be)); "Offshore wind parks
and the maritime ecosystem: 10 years of monitoring", published by ILVO on 15 June 2020 (Offshore windparken en het mariene ecosysteem: 10 jaar
monitoring - ILVO Vlaanderen); C. Degreef and W. Geldhof, ‘Offshore energy and the Belgian legal framework: All at sea’ in Tijdschrift voor het recht van
netwerkindustrieën 2015 (showfile.aspx (kluwer.be)).
