Belgian Offshore Platform

The Belgian Offshore Platform (BOP) is a non-profit association of investors and owners of wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea. The BOP was founded in 2011 to advocate the development of wind energy in the Belgian waters of the North Sea. Offshore wind energy has 1,556 MW installed capacity in the North Sea in 2019. By 2020, this will amount to an installed capacity of 2,262 MW, which will produce an average 8 TWh annually, around 10% of total electricity demand. After 2020, offshore wind energy capacity in the Belgian North Sea can be further developed to at least 4,000 MW.

Belgian Offshore Platform
Koningstraat 146 rue Royale
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Contact

Annemie Vermeylen - Secretary General

Locatie

Belgian Offshore Platform
Koningstraat 146 rue Royale
1000 Brussels
Belgium

About

Markets Outlook: Belgian Offshore Platform

Offshore wind energy in Belgium

Today, 6 projects, C-Power, Belwind, Northwind, Nobelwind, Rentel and Norther, representing 1,556 MW, are fully operational and meet the electricity needs of about 1.5 million homes. The projects Northwester II (219 MW) and SeaMade (487 MW) are currently being constructed and will be commissioned in 2020. With these developments, Belgium has become the fifth largest offshore wind energy producer in the world.

By 2020, the 8 offshore wind farms will represent a total installed capacity of 2,262 MW and will provide an average of 8 TWh/year of renewable electricity, which is equivalent to 10 % of the current electricity demand in Belgium, or carbon free electricity for around 2.2 million homes.

Renewables target

The European Union aims to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% for 2030, with a 32% share of renewable energy. To contribute to this goal, the federal government approved in 2018 new offshore wind zones for doubling the capacity of offshore wind in Belgium in the 2020-2026 Marine Spatial Plan. This will increase the total North Sea wind capacity to more than 4,000 MW, which is an essential building block for the security of supply in the post-nuclear era. Continuing investment in offshore wind energy is therefore imperative

Innovation & expertise in the Belgian offshore wind value chain

As early as 2003, Belgium started with the development of its first offshore wind farm on the Thornton Bank (C-Power). For the pilot phase, 6 gravity based foundations were constructed on which the first offshore 5 MW wind turbines were installed in 2008. This pilot phase was followed by the installation of 6 MW wind turbines on jacket foundations.
Several Belgian companies such as DEME, CG, Fabricom, Jan De Nul, Hanssen Industrial Transmissions, GeoSea, Iemants, G-Tech, etc., active in maritime construction, offshore electrical infrastructure, gearbox manufacturing and cable laying, contributed to the successful construction and operation of the Belgian offshore wind farms.
This pioneering expertise of the Belgian offshore wind energy sector is already being exported abroad: many Belgian companies are active in European and international offshore wind projects.

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