Wind power in Belgium
Wind power in Belgium depends partially on regional governments and partially on the Belgian federal government. Wind energy producers in both the Flemish and Walloon regions get green certificates but not with the same conditions.
By year end 2019 Belgium had 3,879 MW installed capacity of windpower, 2,323 MW of which were land based and 1,556 MW of offshore wind power producing a total of 8,120 GWh of electricity generation. The percentage of electricity demand met by wind grew to about 9.5% by end 2019. By the end of 2020, offshore wind power is planned to increase by 706 MW.
Wind turbines are mainly installed offshore, in the Flemish and in the Walloon Regions. Brussels-Capital Region is an urban area which is not particularly suited for large wind turbines. Smaller turbines more appropriate for urban environments are being studied but until today no technology is deemed sufficiently efficient.
Installed capacity and generation
Land based installed wind capacity grew to 2,278 MW in 2019 producing 3,474 GWh of electricity, while offshore wind installed capacity grew to 1,556 MW offshore installed capacity producing 4,645 GWh, reflecting the better wind conditions at sea and associated higher capacity factor. In 2019 the capacity factors for land based wind power in Belgium was 30% and for offshore 53%. Offshore wind power thus operates at its full capacity almost twice as often on average as compared to onshore wind power in Belgium.Offshore wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea
| Project name | MW | Turbines | Date operational |
| C-Power | 325 | 54 | Phase 1 operational since 2009 Phase 2 operational since 2012 Phase 3 operational since 2013 |
| Belwind | 171 | 56 | 55 turbines operational since 2010 1 turbine operational since 2013 |
| Northwind | 216 | 72 | Operational since 2014 |
| Nobelwind | 165 | 50 | Operational since 2017 |
| Rentel | 309 | 42 | Operational since 2018 |
| Norther | 370 | 44 | Operational since 2019 |
| Northwester 2 | 219 | 23 | Operational since 2020 |
| Total operational | 1775 | 341 | Summer 2020 |
| Seamade | 487 | 58 | Commissioning expected 2020 |
| Total in construction | 487 | 58 | from End 2020 |
| Total capacity | 2262 | 399 | from End 2020 |
By year end 2019 Belgium had six active offshore wind power projects totalling 318 turbines and 1556 MW of power. A further 2 offshore projects are in the construction phase and projected to total an additional 706 MW of windpower capacity in 2020. The distance of the projects from shore typically range from 23 to 54 km, and the bathymetry of the water indicates the turbines will be based in waters typically between 14 and 40 meters deep.
Active projects
C-Power
C-Power was the first wind farm operational in the Belgian North Sea. Its first construction phase was completed in May 2009. This phase was a demonstration phase, with the installation of 6 turbines of 5 MW. The construction of the second and the third phases was finalized on September 2013. A total of 48 turbines of 6.15 MW were installed during thoses two phases. C-Power has therefore a total of 54 turbines, with a combined capacity of 325.2 MW. The turbines generate around 1050 GWh per year, which can provide electricity to 300.000 homes.Belwind
Belwind has an installed capacity of 165 MW, which can provide electricity to 160.000 homes. Belwind's wind farm is operational since December 2010.Northwind
Northwind is located on the Lodewijk Bank and has a total of 72 turbines of 3MW each, with a combined capacity of 216 MW. It was commissioned in May 2014 and can provide electricity to 250.000 homes.Nobelwind
Nobelwind's construction was completed in May 2017 and the wind farm is fully operational since December 2017. With its 50 windturbines of 3,3 MW each, the farm has a combined capacity of 165 MW, which can provide electricity to 160.000 homes.Rentel
A project by Otary RS. Rentel has a total of 42 turbines of 7.35 MW each, with a combined capacity of 309 MW. It was commissioned in September 2018 and can provide electricity to 300.000 homes. The transformer platform also carries electricity from Seastar, Mermaid and Northwester 2.Norther
The Norther wind farm has a total of 44 Vestas turbines with a 370 MW total capacity. The Norther wind project is operational since 2019.Northwester 2
A project by Parkwind NV. The Northwester 2 farm comprises 23 Vestas V164 turbines with a 219 MW capacity. The project reached full production in May 2020.Projects in construction
Seamade
A project by Otary RS. The Seamade wind farm is the result of the merger of the former Seastar and Mermaid projects. It will therefore consist of two zones, the Seastar zone and the Mermaid zone, and 58 Siemens turbines with a capacity of 487 MW. The Seamade wind turbines will start producing green energy in 2020.Energy island
In order to use the generation capacity more efficiently plans are being made to construct an artificial island 3 km from Wenduine. On the island a lake would function as the reservoir of a pumped storage power station, estimated to produce 300 MW for 3 hours a day. The project is currently only in the concept phase. As of july 2018, no progress has been made.Historical data Flemish region
sources:At the end of 2011 there were 191 operational onshore wind turbines with a combined capacity of 341.7MW. Due to the a lack of vast open spaces the wind turbines are installed in more than 60 small groups throughout the region. Often along highways or canals and in industrial or agricultural areas.
The operators of these wind farms are diverse. Some are operated by companies that specialize in wind power like Aspiravi or Electrawinds. Others by traditional electricity producers Electrabel and Luminus. Several are operated by cooperatives like Ecopower or Aspiravi Samen. Finally a few are operated by organisations with a different core business like retail network Colruyt or pharmaceutical company Pfizer as part of a Corporate social responsibility strategy. Colruyt's turbines produce an estimated 13.75 GWh annually.
Installed capacity per province :
- West Flanders: 27%
- East Flanders: 33%
- Antwerp: 22%
- Limburg: 17%
- Flemish Brabant: 1%
Historical data Walloon Region
| Date | Capacity | Number of turbines | Estimated annual production |
| 2005 | 50.0 | 71 | |
| 2007 | 129.9 | 280 | |
| 2009 | 206.0 | 117 | 458 |
| 20/1/2011 | 442.3 | 204 | 984 |
| 27/6/2012 | 543.9 | 247 | 1,197 |
sources:
This region is home to the largest turbines in Belgium. The Windvision wind farm near Estinnes houses 11 Enercon E-126 turbines each with a total height of 198.5 metres and a generation power of 6 MW. The park is part of the EU demonstration project 7MW-WEC-by-11 nine turbines will be upgraded to 7.5 MW.
Greenwind built a 25 MW park of 10 turbines of 2.5 MW in Froidchappelle.