Ground-mounted PV installations in Belgium are facing obstacles due to stringent regulations that prohibit solar development on agricultural land. Presently, the country has a limited number of operational small-scale solar parks and a 100 MW solar plant, constructed by Engie in 2019, which supplies power to the Belgian grid.
Despite the challenges involved in implementing utility-scale solar projects in Belgium, EnergyVision has announced its intentions to build a 40 MW PV facility at Ostend-Bruges Airport in the Flemish Region. The construction of this project, estimated to be worth €35 million, is scheduled to commence in September. The facility will consist of 66,200 solar modules, each with an individual output of 605 W. While no specific completion date has been specified, the solar plant will primarily provide power to the airport.
“However, with an annual electricity production of almost 37,000 MWh, the airport will generate much more electricity than it can consume itself,” stated EnergyVision in a press release. “As a result, a portion of the generated green power will be redirected to Antwerp Airport (Deurne), while the remaining electricity will be supplied directly to local residents.”
The company indicated that there is a possibility of expanding the solar plant at a later stage, but no further details were provided.
“Soon, the citizens of Ostend – including families and small to medium-sized enterprises – will have the opportunity to register and purchase the generated electricity on a priority basis, at fixed prices, without any price increases, and for the long term,” explained Maarten Michielssens, CEO of EnergyVision.
Michielssens also revealed that the company is currently establishing a platform that will enable citizens to co-invest in the project through an eight-year loan with a fixed annual interest rate of 5%.
