Public consultation on the integration of additional offshore capacity
Topic
Elia launches the 1st public consultation on its study aiming to analyze the impact of additional installed offshore capacity on the system and to formulate recommendations.
This public consultation follows two stakeholder workshops held in January and March 2020.
The feedback on the impact assessment and on the mitigation measures described in this document will be taken into account towards the 2nd consultation, planned to start on October 1, 2020. This 2nd consultation will be dedicated to the mitigation measures. The final report will be published on December 23 the latest.
Context
The ambition to extend the installed capacity of offshore wind farms from 2.3 GW at the end of 2020 to up to 4.4 GW by 2030 was set by the Belgian government.
The network reinforcements necessary to connect this additional capacity have been identified in the Federal Development Plan 2020-2030 and the related projects have been started by Elia.
In addition to these grid reinforcements, certain system aspects have been identified that require further study, such as the impact on the balancing of the system (including reserve requirements). As indicated in the past, the mechanism established to manage the impact of storms on the balancing of the system was developed in the context of an installed offshore capacity growing to 2.3 GW. The question therefore arises whether the current mechanism is indeed sufficiently robust for an additional growth to up to 4.4 GW or whether additional or alternative measures are needed.
If proven necessary, recommended measures could then be included in the tender procedure in the context of the extension of Belgian offshore wind capacity.
Given the timeframe, this study takes into account uncertainties about the future functioning of the market and technological developments by the time the 2nd wave offshore capacity will be commissioned. Elia is willing to engage in a discussion with stakeholders on the assumptions defined in the study, the methodologies used and the impact of the identified potential mitigation measures. A review of the assumptions will have to be performed before the tender procedure in order to confirm and calibrate the measures defined, if applicable.
Period
Elia invites the stakeholders to provide comments and suggestions on the consulted document via the online form below during the consultation period from Monday June 8, 2020 to Wednesday July 8, 2020.
A workshop is planned on the 15th of June at 2pm to present the main conclusions of the study, and engage in an open discussion with the stakeholders.
