Belgium probes North Sea energy island by 2025

Belgium is planning to construct an energy island in the North Sea to store wind power by 2025, as it seeks to accelerate its energy transition.

"We are going to build a multifunctional energy island in the North Sea which will interconnect our wind turbines … but at the same time it will also allow the storage and production of green hydrogen," Belgian energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten said last week.

The energy island could be finalised by 2025, an "ambitious but feasible" target Van der Straeten said and could be the first of its kind to be realised, even before the finalisation of an energy island in Denmark, the minister added.

The Belgian ministry is currently investigating the potential of building the energy island within the Princess Elisabeth Zone in the North Sea, which is the second designated area for offshore renewable energy production in Belgium. "One of the main uses for the hub under investigation is the transmission of electricity created in this area," a spokesperson from the ministry told Argus.

The country has an offshore wind power capacity of 2.2GW at its first fully developed wind zone but is looking to expand capacity to 4.5GW as it constructs the Princess Elisabeth Zone.

The Belgian project is still undergoing a feasibility study and no final decisions have been taken, the spokesperson said. The project owner and initiator is the Belgian grid operator Elia. Other partners have not been disclosed at this stage.

The Danish government approved the construction of its energy island at the beginning of February, which is expected by 2033 with a 3GW offshore wind capacity. The site will have the potential for 10GW offshore wind in the longer term.

By Florence Schmit