Panel discussion about the Belgian energy island at IPF 2024

The purpose of this panel discussion is to inform offshore wind players in the United States about the latest way to bring the electricity produced by offshore wind farms to land, namely via hybrid AC/DC connections bundled on an energy island. The island being built off the Belgian coast serves as a showcase.

During the workshop you will find out why Belgium has chosen to connect the 2nd offshore wind zone via an island. This island will act as an electricity hub, serving cables from the wind farms and future interconnectors with other European countries such as the United Kingdom and Denmark. In this way it will be the basis for the North Sea grid

Further topics include the construction of the island, the type of connections (AC/DC) and the advantages compared to radial grid connections. Last but not least, we provide insights into ways in which the island's security can be boosted.

Panelists:

• Piet Opstaele, CEO at Blue Cluster
• Marcus Laukamp, CEO at WindGrid
• Carl Heiremans, Business Development Manager Offshore Wind at Jan De Nul
• Hakan Ergun, Research Expert at KU Leuven - Energyville
• Vincent Dehullu, International Business Development Manager Renewables & Industry at e-BO Enterprises

This workshop takes place on the Global Insights Stage on Wednesday 24 April from 15:10 to 15:40 (local time).

Participation is free. You do not need to register in order to participate in this workshop.