A large consortium of companies, including the Belgian green energy companies Aspiravi and Elicio, dredging company DEME, and energy companies Engie and Eneco, wants to participate in a tender for the new wind farms to be built in the Princess Elisabeth zone, the new Belgian energy island in the North Sea where wind farms will be built.
The consortium, which also includes Dutch Eneco, Ocean Winds (a joint venture between Portuguese EDP Renewables and Engie), and Belgian wind farm operator Otary, was established to participate in all the upcoming tenders for the Princess Elisabeth Zone. Eneco, Ocean Winds, and Otary already work together in Seamade, the largest Belgian offshore wind energy park.
Three tenders
The outgoing federal government in Belgium has provided three lots in the Princess Elisabeth zone, the first of which will probably be auctioned next year. By 2030, this should result in a new 700-megawatt wind farm and two of 1,225 to 1,400 megawatts each.
The total production capacity in the Belgian North Sea could, therefore, more than double from 2.3 gigawatts today to at least 5.4 gigawatts by the end of the decade. Last year, offshore wind farms generated 10.5% of all electricity production in Belgium.
Highly competitive
The consortium plans to participate in each of the three upcoming tenders. The group expects the tender process to be highly competitive, “with several leading global players competing for the concessions”.
Other companies expected to participate include the Belgian energy provider Luminus, dredging company Jan De Nul, Belgian Parkwind, oil giants TotalEnergies, BP, and Shell, and energy companies like Swedish Vattenfall.
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