EU Commission: approval of a €2Bn Belgian State aid to support offshore wind energy

The European Commission approved a € 2.04 billion Belgian scheme to support the construction and operation of the first offshore wind farm in the Princess Elisabeth Offshore Zone in the North Sea, on 10 November 2026.

The wind farm is expected to have a capacity of up to 735 MW and to generate up to 2.6 TWh of renewable electricity per year.

The Commission specifies that the aid will be granted through a transparent and non-discriminatory bidding process, with the result expected in Q4 2027.

The Net Zero Industry Act criteria will be included as tender prequalification criteria: “there will be a requirement to diversify wind turbines and main specific components supply chains to reduce dependency on imports from outside Europe, to strengthen resilience”.

In addition, the Commission says…