Belgium’s Federal Public Service Economy, SMEs, Middle Classes, and Energy has issued a contract notice seeking theoretical geological studies for the Princess Elisabeth offshore wind zone.
Interested parties have until 27 September to respond to this contract notice.
Belgium’s first offshore wind zone was fully constructed with the commissioning of the Northwester II and the SeaMade wind farms back in 2020.
The Princess Elisabeth Zone is Belgium’s second offshore wind area and it was designated in the country’s Marine Spatial Plan 2020-2026 which came into force in March 2020.
The new zone covers 281 square kilometres and is expected to double Belgium’s offshore wind capacity from the current 2.26 GW to 4.5 GW.
The zone is divided into three sections located at least 32 kilometres from the Belgian coast and ten kilometres further out to sea than the already developed offshore wind farms.
Once fully constructed, the Princess Elisabeth Zone is expected to cover ten per cent of Belgium’s electricity needs.
Belgium is also reportedly considering building an energy island within the Princess Elisabeth Zone.