Wind power
Find out more about our wind farms!
We build our wind turbines in partnership within the companies Wind4Flanders* , Wind4Wallonia** and Greensky*** with a clear focus on those living in the surrounding areas. They are partial shareholders via CoGreen.
We are also active in offshore wind energy.
ENGIE contributed to the development and realization of the SeaMade wind farm in the North Sea as part of the Ocean Winds project team. Its subsidiary Electrabel was already involved at the start of the project and is now also taking on the operation of the park.
With Ocean Winds, ENGIE Electrabel wants to continue to play a pioneering role in Belgium's energy transition, in which offshore wind energy has a very important place. Our ambition is to have 1,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, including in consortia such as this one.
ENGIE also installs wind turbines for its customers so that they can increase the sustainability of their processes via the local production of green energy.
To realise our targets, we aim to:
- expand our facilities by 40 MW per year.
- optimise the fleet: we are gradually replacing our small, older turbines with more efficient examples, as we did at Hoogstraten and Wondelgem in 2021.
Interesting facts
- It takes around 3-4 years from the consultation phase to the commissioning of a wind farm.
- A well-placed turbine on land with a capacity of 3 MW can produce around 7,000 MWh of electricity in a year. This equates to the annual consumption of almost 2,000 families.
- The average lifespan of a wind turbine is 20 years.
Turning wind energy into electricity
In order to produce electricity with a wind turbine, the wind has to blow (the turbine only starts to turn with a wind speed of 3 m/s and works at maximum capacity with a speed of 12 m/s). But it can’t be too windy! When the wind gets to 25 m/s or above, the wind turbines shut down for safety reasons. The energy production from wind turbines constantly fluctuates. ENGIE uses special software which analyses meteorological data in order to predict production by the turbines as accurately as possible. On the basis of this information, we can engage other energy sources or power stations, if required.
How does it work?
Wind turbine on land (onshore):
• Currently offering a capacity of 3.5 to 5.6 MW
• Supplies its full capacity over an equivalent of 2,000 to 2,200 hours (approx. 25% of the time)
Wind turbine at sea (offshore):
- Because there’s more room at sea, larger and more powerful wind turbines can be built. The offshore industry is moving towards wind turbines of up to 12 MW, fitted with rotors with a wing-span of up to 200 m.
- At sea, the wind blows harder and more regularly. Wind turbines offer an average of 4,000 hours at full capacity.
• The nacelle turns the rotor and the sails automatically into the wind direction.
• A sail on an onshore wind turbine can be up to 75 m long. The sails on offshore wind turbines can measure up to 100 m.
• The nacelle can be reached via the hollow mast. At the foot of the mast, there is the transformer which increases the voltage of the generated power.
• Once the wind starts to move the sails, the gearbox converts the rotor’s low revolution speed into the high revolution speed of the generator.
• The generator converts this kinetic energy into electricity.
Did you know? At a distance of 500 metres, the noise from a wind turbine doesn’t exceed that of a library.
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*Wind4Flanders is a collaboration between Zefier, IKA and Ventum&green.
**Wind4Wallonia is a collaboration between Electrabel and 5 interurban organisations (InBW, IDEFIN, IEG, SOFILUX and CENEO which combines IDEA, IDETA and IGRETEC).
*** Greensky cvba is a partnership between Electrabel, Infrabel, Sint-Truiden and Ventum&green.
Updates
Berlare E17 - Infomoment op woensdag 6 maart
Om de omwonenden te informeren over het windturbineproject Berlare E17, organiseren ENGIE en Aspiravi een informatiemoment op woensdag 6 maart 2024 in Parochiezaal De Kring (Kerkstraat 2, 9290 Overmere) van 16u tot 19u. U krijgt er individueel antwoord op uw vragen m.b.t. het windenergieproject in Berlare. Gelieve op voorhand uw aanwezigheid en voorkeursmoment door te geven via info@aspiravi.com, zodat wij voldoende collega’s kunnen voorzien om alle geïnteresseerden te woord te staan.
Berlare E17 - Omgevingsvergunningsaanvraag werd ingediend
De omgevingsvergunningsaanvraag voor het windturbineproject Berlare E17 werd ingediend. Volgend op de acceptering van dit dossier gaat het openbaar onderzoek van start voor een periode van 30 dagen. Tijdens dit onderzoek is het volledige dossier inclusief studies raadpleegbaar digitaal via het Omgevingsloket of in het gemeentehuis van Berlare.
Kruibeke E17 Extensie - Infomarkt 26 februari 2024
Op 26 februari 2024 zal er een nieuwe infomarkt gehouden worden over ons project te Kruibeke/Beveren. Deze zal doorgaan in het Gemeentehuis te Kruibeke, Zaal “De Brouwerij”- Onze-Lieve-Vrouwplein 18/20, 9150 Kruibeke. U kan er van 18u00 tot 20u00 doorlopend terecht voor al uw vragen omtrent dit project.
Ruisbroek Kanaal (Puurs-Sint-Amands) - Vergunning geweigerd
De minister heeft de vergunning voor dit dossier jammer genoeg geweigerd. We bekijken de weigeringsbeslissing in detail en bepalen onze verdere aanpak voor dit project.
Herentals – Plassendonk - Vergunning verleend
Op 23 november 2020 verleende de minister een omgevingsvergunning voor de bouw en exploitatie van 2 turbines. Tegen deze beslissing werd in januari 2021 een nieuw verzoekschrift tot vernietiging ingediend bij de Raad voor vergunningsbetwistingen.