Belgian offshore wind farms contributed 8.7% of the country's total electricity consumption in 2024, producing approximately 7.07 terawatt-hours (TWh), according to the Belgian Offshore Platform (BOP). The nine offshore wind farms, which have a combined capacity of 2.26 gigawatts (GW), generated enough power to meet the annual electricity needs of around 2 million families.
While 2024 started strongly for Belgium's offshore wind farms, wind conditions were below average during the summer and autumn, resulting in total production falling short of the 8 TWh generated in 2023. Despite this, Belgium remains the fifth-largest producer of offshore wind energy in Europe, trailing behind the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
Looking ahead, BOP pointed to the potential for further expansion, particularly through three new wind farms in the Princess Elisabeth development zone. These projects are expected to bring Belgium's offshore wind capacity to 5.8 GW. The public tender for the first 700 MW of this expansion opened in November 2024, with the winning bid expected to be announced by the end of 2025. The new wind farm must be operational before the end of 2030.
However, BOP outlined several challenges facing the sector. The development of additional offshore wind farms is contingent upon two key network investments, including a high-voltage connection from Belgian transmission system operator Elia. Elia has yet to receive a permit for its Ventilus project, which currently prevents any additional electricity from offshore wind farms from being transmitted to the grid.
BOP also highlighted concerns over the slow progress of Elia's Boucle du Hainaut network reinforcement project. The current solution proposed by Elia, a flexible connection that allows the disconnection of wind farms without compensation, was criticized by BOP as an “unacceptable and illogical” transfer of operational risk from the network manager to the wind farms. This, BOP argues, increases financial risks and leads to higher electricity costs.
To address these issues, BOP has called for the impact of future grid tariff increases to be “neutralized” within the framework of contracts for difference, ensuring more stability for offshore wind developers.
