The European Commission has approved a Belgian state aid scheme to support the construction and operation of the first offshore wind farm in the Princess Elisabeth zone in the Belgian North Sea. The project is expected to have an installed capacity of up to 735 MW and generate up to 2.6 TWh of renewable electricity annually.
The scheme provides for a two-way Contract for Difference (CfD), under which the beneficiary will receive payments when the reference electricity market price is below the price established through the tender. If the market price exceeds the agreed price, the beneficiary will pay the difference to the Belgian authorities.
The approved scheme has a maximum budget of €2.04 billion over 20 years. It was assessed under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF), adopted by the Commission in June 2025.
The support will be awarded through a transparent and non-discriminatory tender. The result of the tender is expected in the fourth quarter of 2027. Prequalification criteria will include requirements for supply-chain diversification for wind turbines and their main components, in line with the Net-Zero Industry Act.
