Hogan Lovell OffshoreBook 2023 230809 OnlinePDF - Flipbook - Page 11
Offshore Wind Worldwide 2023
1. STATE AND FUTURE OF
OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS
1.1 Current state of offshore wind
development and projects
With eight operational wind farms with a
2,262 MW production capacity, Belgium
is one of the world leaders in the offshore
wind industry.1
During the second half of 2020, two new
wind farms (Northwester 2 and Seamade)
were constructed and have begun to
produce energy, which increased the
total production capacity from 1,556 MW
to 2,262 MW. This 2,262 MW production
capacity implies that these wind farms will
produce 8.0 TWh of electricity, which
represents about 10% of Belgium’s total
electricity consumption (in 2022, the 399
wind turbines, spread over nine zones,
produced approximately 6.6 TWh, which
corresponds to the annual electricity
demand of almost two million households,
or 8% of the total electricity demand in
Belgium). 2
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Currently, all tender procedures in the first
(eastern) area of the Belgian North Sea
(often referred to as the "first offshore
wind phase") are closed, but with the new
maritime spatial plan for the period 20202026, the Belgian minister responsible for
the North Sea has established the framework for an additional wind zone of 285 km2
(the more western "Princess Elisabeth Zone",
consisting of three zones, Hinder North
(Zone 2), Hinder South (Zone 3), and Fairybank (Zone 4)) close to the French border,
in addition to the wind zone of 225 km2
that already exists close to the border with
the Netherlands. This additional wind zone
intends to add another 3,150 to 3,500 MW
(the "second offshore wind phase"). 3
Based on the implementation of the federal
law of 12 May 2019, 4 the federal government
will establish, in line with EU law obligations,
general principles for a competitive bidding
procedure to award domain concessions
to future projects of offshore electricity
production. The bidding procedure and
criteria of the tender will be defined by Royal
Decree. To this end, preliminary studies are
being carried out and should be completed
1 "Wind farms in Belgian North sea will have supplied green power for nearly 2 million Belgian Households in 2022", published by Belgian Offshore
Platform on 16 December 2022 (Wind farms in Belgian North Sea will have supplied green power for nearly 2 million Belgian households in 2022 –
Belgian Offshore Platform ); "Projects", published by Belgian Offshore Platform (Projects – Belgian Offshore Platform).
2 "Wind farms in Belgian North sea will have supplied green power for nearly 2 million Belgian Households in 2022", published by Belgian Offshore
Platform on 16 December 22022 (Wind farms in Belgian North Sea will have supplied green power for nearly 2 million Belgian households in 2022 –
Belgian Offshore Platform ); "Projects", published by Belgian Offshore Platform (Projects – Belgian Offshore Platform).
3 "First offshore wind energy zone in the Belgian North Sea fully and on time completed", published by Belgian Offshore Platform on 3 January 2021
(First offshore wind energy zone in the Belgian North Sea fully and on time completed – Belgian Offshore Platform); "Maritime Spatial Plan for the
Belgian Part of the North Sea 2020-2026", signed on 22 May 2019, entry into force on 20 March 2020, to be consulted via Belgium | The European Maritime Spatial Planning Platform (europa.eu); "Belgian offshore wind energy", published by FPS Economy with last update on 3 April 2023 (Belgian offshore
wind energy -5.4-5.8 GW by 2030 | FPS Economy (fgov.be)).
4 Law 12 May 2019, amending the Act of 29 April 1999 on the organization of the electricity market with a view to introducing a competitive bidding
procedure for the construction and operation of generating facilities in marine areas under the jurisdiction of Belgium and ratifying the Royal Decree of 11
February 2019 amending the Royal Decree of 16 July 2002 on the establishment of mechanisms for the promotion of electricity generated from renewable
energy sources, Belgian Off. Gazette 24 May 2019, 50115.
