Energy in Belgium

Closed coal mine in Belgium

In recent years own production is about 25%. However this is mostly due to nuclear power generation, which by convention is counted as domestic production despite the uranium being imported. Renewable energy sources account for the rest of own production.[3]

Historically, up until 1992, coal was mined in Belgium. Since 2000 the quantities of Coalbed methane have been researched.[5] These show that a concession of Limburgse Reconversie Maatschappij would contain 7 billion cubic meters of mine gas. In 2012 a deal was made with the Australian Dart Energy to investigate the practical extraction of this mine gas.[6]

In 2010, crude oil was imported mainly from Russia (44%), and OPEC countries (23%). Norway was the largest (37%) supplier of natural gas followed by The Netherlands (29%). While 39% of coal was imported from the United States and 22% from Australia.[3]

At the end of 2011 Belgium had a distillation capacity 41 Mt. That year 72% of the capacity was used. [7]

Electricity generation

Electrabel is main producer of electricity, followed by EDF Luminus.

With the exception of 2009 Belgium has been a net importer in recent years.

Short term trading is done via the Belpex energy exchange, which is now part of APX-ENDEX. The Belgian transmission grid, operated by Elia System Operator, has a central position in the Synchronous grid of Continental Europe. This allows Belgium to trade electricity with its neighbours. Though currently there are only physical connections with the Netherlands and France. Direct links with Germany (Alegro) and The United Kingdom (Nemo) are planned. Currently a maximum of 3500 MW can be imported.[8] In comparison, the net installed generation capacity in Belgium is estimated to be 19,627 MW.[9]

In 2010, Belgium produced 95 TWh of electricity. After subtraction of the electricity used in the production process and losses and addition of the net import 84 TWh was consumed by end users.[3]

According to the GEMIX report the potential of renewable energy sources is 17 TWh per year.[10] Edora, the union of renewable energy producers in Wallonia refers to studies claiming that 7.8 TWh may come from renewable sources in 2015.[11] In 2000, renewable energy (including biomass) was used for producing 0.95% of the 78.85 TWh of electricity produced domestically[12] In 2011 wind and solar power generated 3.8 TWh.[9]

Nuclear power typically contributes between 50% and 60% of the electricity produced domestically (50.4% in 2010).[3]

Belgium has two nuclear power plants:

• Nuclear Plant Doel with four reactors of 392, 433, 1006 and 1008 MW_e (1975)
• Nuclear Plant Tihange with three reactors of 962, 1008 and 1015 MW_e (1975)

By law[13] the nuclear power plants are to be phased-out. The first reactors are scheduled to be taken out of service in 2014, the last ones by 2025. It is widely assumed that the government will replace that law.

Two reactors are scheduled to be shut down by 2015. The lifetime of one old reactor has been extended through to 2025.

The use of coal in thermal power plants has been decreasing, in 2000 it was still used to produce 14.25% of electricity,[12] by 2006 this had dropped to about 10%. In 2010 it was down to 6.3%.[3] The conventional coal units of the thermal power plants in Mol and Kallo were closed.[14] Oil is also playing an increasingly less prominent role in 2010 it accounted only for 0.4% of gross electricity production.

This reduction is mostly compensated by a rise in popularity of natural gas. Where in 2000 gas only accounted for 23% it was up to 33%(including blast furnace gas) of gross electricity generated in 2010.[3][12] Natural gas power plants are less polluting and have a short start-up time,

Fluxys is the main operator in natural gas transmission.

Several power stations use a combined cycle including: Drogenbos, Amercoeur, Tessenderlo. Building permits are processed for plants in Seneffe and Visé.

At the start of 2012, there were 498 operational wind turbines in Belgium, with a capacity of 1080 MW.[15] The amount of electricity generated from wind energy has surpassed 2 TWh per year.[16]

On Sunday 6 February 2011, due to high winds and lower electricity consumption, 12% of the country's consumed electricity was generated by wind turbines. [16]

There are seven large-scale offshore wind farm projects. Northwind (216MW), Thorntonbank Wind Farm (325 MW), Belwind Wind Farm (330 MW) are operational. The others are in various stages of planning.

The exploitation of Solar power is on the rise in Belgium. In 2014 the installed capacity expanded to almost 3 GWp, nearly all of it was grid connected. Belgium's 2953 MWp of photovoltaics produced an estimated 2752 GWh of electricity in 2014.[23]

Sources:[24][25][26][23]

In 2009, biomass and biogas were used to generate 3.5 TWh or 3.8% of gross domestic electricity production.[4]

In 2010 5.07 million tonnes of waste was produced in Belgium, of which 1.75 Mt was incinerated. Nearly always (99.8% of the time) energy was recovered during incineration. Non renewable waste was used for producing 1.4% of the gross domestic electricity production. 1.9 Mt was recycled and 1 Mt was composted or fermented; only 0.062 Mt was dumped.[27] Ten years earlier this was only 0.71%.[12]

Belgium has two pumped storage hydroelectric power stations: Coo-Trois-Ponts (1164 MW) and Plate-Taille (143 MW). Pumped storage stations are a net consumer of electricity, but they contributed 1.4% to the gross electricity production in 2010.[3]

Despite the limited potential there are also a number of stations generating hydroelectric power. With a combined capacity of about 100 MW. Contributing 0.3% of gross domestic production in 2010.[3]

Almost all of this capacity is realised in the Walloon Region. Even though hydroelectric power was used extensively in Flanders prior to the industrial revolution, there are no rivers where it can be generated on a large scale.[28] The region's 15 installations have a combined capacity just shy of 1 MW (994 kW).[29]

In the Brussels-Capital Region, the electricity and natural gas net are operated by Sibelga. In 2011, the natural gas consumption was 10,480 GWh and the electricity consumption was 5,087 GWh.[30]

Sibelga invests in combined heat and power (CHP) installations for which it receives green certificates. In 2011 its eleven installations had a combined capacity of 17.8 MWe and 19.7 MWth and generated 50.5 GWh of electricity.[30]

The Region of Brussels-Capital also encourages MicroCHP[31] and implemented the European directive of 2002/91/CE on Energy Performance of Buildings.

The companies Umicore, BASF, Solvay, Duferco, Tessenderlo Chemie, ArcelorMittal, and Air Liquide together account for about 15% of the total electricity consumption of Belgium in 2006.[32]