Offshore wind turbines produced record amounts of electricity in 2023

Wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea produced a record 8 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2023, equivalent to the electricity needs of 2.3 million households. In total, offshore wind turbines accounted for 10.2 per cent of the country's total electricity demand, according to the sector's umbrella organisation, the Belgian Offshore Platform.

This share of the electricity supply puts Belgium in the top three in Europe. Only Denmark (25 per cent) and the UK (15 per cent) generated more electricity from offshore wind turbines. The Netherlands (7%) and Germany (5%) complete the European top five. In December, a record amount of electricity was generated off the Belgian coast (1,075 GWh).

The Belgian Offshore Platform is satisfied with the results of 2023, the third year in which the full production capacity of Belgian offshore wind turbines was used. The wind turbines were in operation for around 95 per cent of the time. The wind energy zone will be further expanded in the future.

Total electricity consumption fell to 78.4 terawatt hours last year, the lowest level since the end of the 1990s.

^{© BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}