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Released November 09, 2017 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The Belgian government is to award support funding for three offshore windfarms in the North Sea with a combined generating capacity of 716 megawatts (MW).
The three windfarms are Northwester II (224 MW) being developed by Parkwind (Leuven, Belgium), and the Seastar (246 MW) and Mermaid (246 MW) windfarms being developed by the Otary consortium, which includes eight Belgian offshore wind companies. The government said the deal struck represented a new record low for wind energy with a price of 79 euro ($91) per megawatt-hour (MWh), agreed over a period of 16 years, with a potential one-year extension in case of poor wind conditions. This compares favourably to the last round of windfarm funding in Belgium for the C-Power, Belwind, Northwind and Nobelwind windfarms, where the price per MWh stood at 138 euro ($160). The three projects will be constructed between 2018 and 2020.
The country 's Minister for Energy Bart Tommelein believes the country could almost double its offshore wind capacity from the current target of 2,200 MW for 2020 to 4,000 MW. "The windfarms at sea are extremely important to achieve our renewable energy goals," he said following the government's latest deal. "There should be as many windmills as possible by the beginning of 2020 to count towards Europe."
The costs associated with developing offshore windfarms have plummeted in recent years. Record low prices have been agreed between a number of European governments and developers thanks to the rise of competitive auctions.
Industrial Info reported this summer that offshore wind projects dominated the most recent U.K. government power auction, coming in far cheaper than new nuclear power for the first time. In the second round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction, the government awarded contracts to three proposed offshore windfarms with a combined capacity of 3.2 gigawatts (GW). For additional information, see September 13, 2017, article - Offshore Wind is Big Winner in U.K. Power Auctions.
In April the world's first offshore windfarms to be built without any government financial aid were revealed. In Germany's first wind power auction, three of the four windfarms accepted--known as 'zero-sum' windfarms--will be built with no financial help. For additional information, see April 20, 2017, article - World's First 'Subsidy-Free' Windfarms Get German OK.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
The three windfarms are Northwester II (224 MW) being developed by Parkwind (Leuven, Belgium), and the Seastar (246 MW) and Mermaid (246 MW) windfarms being developed by the Otary consortium, which includes eight Belgian offshore wind companies. The government said the deal struck represented a new record low for wind energy with a price of 79 euro ($91) per megawatt-hour (MWh), agreed over a period of 16 years, with a potential one-year extension in case of poor wind conditions. This compares favourably to the last round of windfarm funding in Belgium for the C-Power, Belwind, Northwind and Nobelwind windfarms, where the price per MWh stood at 138 euro ($160). The three projects will be constructed between 2018 and 2020.
The country 's Minister for Energy Bart Tommelein believes the country could almost double its offshore wind capacity from the current target of 2,200 MW for 2020 to 4,000 MW. "The windfarms at sea are extremely important to achieve our renewable energy goals," he said following the government's latest deal. "There should be as many windmills as possible by the beginning of 2020 to count towards Europe."
The costs associated with developing offshore windfarms have plummeted in recent years. Record low prices have been agreed between a number of European governments and developers thanks to the rise of competitive auctions.
Industrial Info reported this summer that offshore wind projects dominated the most recent U.K. government power auction, coming in far cheaper than new nuclear power for the first time. In the second round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction, the government awarded contracts to three proposed offshore windfarms with a combined capacity of 3.2 gigawatts (GW). For additional information, see September 13, 2017, article - Offshore Wind is Big Winner in U.K. Power Auctions.
In April the world's first offshore windfarms to be built without any government financial aid were revealed. In Germany's first wind power auction, three of the four windfarms accepted--known as 'zero-sum' windfarms--will be built with no financial help. For additional information, see April 20, 2017, article - World's First 'Subsidy-Free' Windfarms Get German OK.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
