Offshore renewable energy development in the Belgian part of the North Sea
Rumes, B.; Brabant, R. (2017). Offshore renewable energy development in the Belgian part of the North Sea, in: Degraer, S. et al. Environmental impacts of offshore wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea: A continued move towards integration and quantification. pp. 13-17 In: Degraer, S. et al. (2017). Environmental impacts of offshore wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea: A continued move towards integration and quantification. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, OD Natural Environment, Marine Ecology and Management Section: Brussels. ISBN 978-9-0732-4237-1. 146 pp., more In: Memoirs on the Marine Environment. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, OD Natural Environment: Brussels, more |  |
| Abstract | Offshore wind farms are expected to contribute significantly to the Belgian 2020 tar- gets for renewable energy. As of 2016, an installed capacity of 870 Megawatt (MW), consisting of 232 offshore wind turbines, is operational in the Belgian part of the North Sea. In 2017 and 2018, an additional capa- city of respectively 275 and 320 MW will be added (fig. 1), with three other projects sche- duled for the next few years after that. With 238 km2 reserved for offshore wind farms in Belgium and 344 km2 in the adjacent Dutch Borssele, cumulative ecological im- pacts may however be expected. These im- pacts both positive and negative, triggered an environmental monitoring programme focusing on various aspects of the marine ecosystem components, but also on the human appreciation of offshore wind farms. This chapter provides an overview of the offshore renewable energy development in the Belgian part of the North Sea. |
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