“It conflicts with many existing interests”

Belgian authorities want to turn the North Sea into a “green energy station”. The Princess Elisabeth Energy Island, which has not yet been built, will be the second offshore production area in Belgian territorial waters. The first is the so-called Eastern Region, which was developed between 2009 and 2021.

Together, these two areas are supposed to guarantee the production of 5.8 gigawatts of electricity, with an additional potential of 1 gigawatt thanks to the floating solar park. With a capacity of 1 gigawatt, approximately one million to one and a half million families can be supplied with electricity.

The Belgian government wants to increase renewable energy production across offshore zones to 8 GW by 2040. But this requires analyzing the remaining potential of the North Sea with a view to building a third energy zone. A study was requested in March 2022 by North Sea Minister Vincent van Quickenborn (Open Vld).

However, Arcadis, which conducted the study, concluded that the third energy zone is not a good idea. “This would conflict with the interests of nature, existing activities, residents of coastal areas and the economy linked to shipping and ports.”