Tender procedure for new Belgian offshore wind farm launched
On November 25, the General Directorate for Energy of the FPS Economy launched a competitive registration procedure for the award of a domain concession. The concession concerns the private construction and operation of an offshore wind farm with a capacity of 700 MW in the first plot of the Princess Elisabeth zone in the Belgian part of the North Sea.
This first step is part of the federal decision to strengthen the current total capacity of 2,261 MW of offshore wind energy by 2030 by adding an additional capacity of at least 3.15 GW and a maximum of 3.5 GW in the Princess Elisabeth zone.
The winner of the competitive tender procedure will receive the necessary permits and authorisations for the construction and operation of offshore installations for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources.
Timeline
The tender procedure consists of the following steps:
| 25 November 2024 | Tender launch |
| 25 November 2024 until 24 July 2025 | Preparatory period 8 months |
| 25 July 2025 until 24 August 2025 | Submission period 1 month |
| 25 August 2025 until 25 November 2025 | Evaluation period 3 months, with a possible extension of maximum 3 months |
| 26 November 2025 | Advice to the minister The General Directorate for Energy of the FPS Economy provides its advice to the Minister of Energy (if no extension of the evaluation period) |
| 26 December 2025 | Allocation of the first lot |