Belgium’s Council of Ministers postpones Princess Elisabeth offshore wind tender

The Council of Ministers decided to postpone the first 700-MW Princess Elisabeth Zone 1 tender because of legal uncertainties and "an unrealistic timescale," the later principally referring to concerns the grid connection for the Princess Elizabeth Zone will not be ready in time.

In a statement, one of the groups planning to participate in the tender, SeaCoop, said the Federal government’s decision to halt the tender for the first Princess Elisabeth Zone is “incomprehensible.” 

SeaCoop said it incomprehensible that, after a four-year preparation process, with a tender launch scheduled for 25 November 2025, the process has been halted less than two months before the 24 August 2024 submission deadline. 

“It is all the more remarkable because it runs counter to the agreements reached on this subject in the Federal government’s coalition agreement,” SeaCoop said. “This is not good governance and jeopardises the security of investments in the offshore sector.

“A decision to extend the construction period from 48 months to 60 months after the award was made would have resolved the issue of the onshore power supply,” said SeaCoop, referring to delays in the grid connection for PEZ1. “If the Ventilus high-voltage link cannot be ready by mid-2031 after more than 10 years of preparation, Belgium really has a problem.”

SeaCoop noted a restart of the tender is planned for early 2026, but said by then all permits “will then have to be renewed.” It said this will create a great deal of uncertainty, not least because on 1 January 2026, Europe’s Net Zero Industry Act will come into force, which requires a greater role for qualitative criteria in tenders.

It also noted that, in its RED directives, Europe requires member states to provide specific rules for renewable energy communities. “The rules on citizen participation have been carefully considered, with European approval. It is clear that all political parties should support citizen participation. It is therefore incomprehensible that the rules on citizen participation are being called into question again,” said SeaCoop.

SeaCoop managing director Philippe Awouters said 32 citizen energy co-operatives have already invested €2.0M (US$2.3M) preparing for the PEX1 tender. “Delays increase our costs. If the rules on citizen participation are cancelled, these costs could become irrecoverable. This is unacceptable,” he said.

Citizen participation provides financing at a relatively low cost because citizens have different expectations of returns. “SeaCoop proves that citizen participation in offshore wind power is not a fiction. It holds a stake in the Northwind windfarm, having raised the necessary citizen capital,” said Mr Awouters. “We know from experience that banks have confidence, this supports the financing of the project, and the strike price can therefore be reduced.”

Mr Awouters and his colleagues believe the halt to the PEZ1 tender will “significantly delay the move towards greater energy independence and thwart opportunities for stabilising energy costs.”