ENGIE will start the civil works for the construction of eight new wind turbines in the port of Zeebrugge, with a total capacity of 42.6 MW. Three of the eight wind turbines will be located on the premises of the RoRo terminal of Wallenius Wilhelmsen; the other five will be located on the premises of International Car Operators (ICO), where ENGIE, together with ICO and Portfineco, already commissioned a wind farm of 11 wind turbines (44 MW) in 2020.
The new wind turbines will appear on the Zeebrugge skyline in the second half of 2027, when the tower masts will be erected and the nacelles and blades will be installed. From the beginning of 2028, they will generate approximately 115 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, equivalent to the average electricity consumption of approximately 33,000 households over the same period.
Vincent Verbeke, CEO of ENGIE Belgium: “With 217 operational wind turbines in Belgium, accounting for a total capacity of 611 MW, ENGIE makes a significant contribution to the renewable electricity supply for Belgian industry and households. To further expand our renewable electricity generation capacity, we are primarily looking at more large-scale projects in suitable locations, such as port and industrial areas, which are so important to the Belgian economy. With this project, we are strengthening Zeebrugge’s role as an energy hub for the region.”
Dirk De fauw, Vice-Chairman of Port of Antwerp-Bruges and Mayor of Bruges: “Port of Antwerp-Bruges is pleased to see that, together with our local and Flemish public partners and commercial partner ENGIE, we have succeeded in realizing significant additional wind capacity at three of our port terminals. In this way, we are well on our way to reaching the magical milestone of half a gigawatt of installed wind capacity on our platforms by 2030. The share of port wind in our energy supply is thus becoming increasingly important.”
Henk Kindt, Chairman of Zefier: “As a partner of Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Portfineco, we at Zefier are particularly pleased that we can participate in these wind turbines. We remain convinced of the need for renewable energy that benefits all citizens and want to continue our efforts on behalf of our 160 shareholder municipalities. We are pleased to find allies in this endeavor in ENGIE and Port of Antwerp-Bruges.”
The project in figures: 8 wind turbines, spread across 3 locations
- Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Alfred Ronsestraat (N350): 3 Vestas wind turbines, model V150-6.0 MW, with a rotor diameter of 150 meters and a tip height of 200 meters
- International Car Operators, Southern Inlet Dock: 2 Vestas wind turbines, model V150-6.0 MW, with a rotor diameter of 150 meters and a tip height of 200 meters
- International Car Operators, Northern Inlet Dock: 3 Vestas wind turbines, model V136-4.2 MW, with a rotor diameter of 136 meters and a tip height of 180 meters
