Permits for the exploitation of renewable energy sources in the North Sea

If companies wish to exploit the renewable energy sources in the North Sea, they must apply for a permit from the Directorate-General for Energy. There are three types of permits:

1. domain concessions for renewable energy production
2. permits for the laying of cables in the sea
3. domain concession for hydroelectric energy storage

Domain concession for renewable energy production

The first permit is a domain concession for renewable energy production. The wind farms in the Eastern Zone obtained their domain concessions for renewable energy production based on the Royal Decree (RD) of 20 December 2000. This royal decree defines the procedure and the conditions for the granting of domain concessions. New domain concessions can no longer be granted on the basis of the RD of 20 December 2000. However, existing domain concessions can still be modified based on this decree.

The wind farms in the Princess Elisabeth Zone will be granted a domain concession on the basis of the RD of 3 June 2024. This new regulatory framework adopts the principle of a competitive bidding procedure or tender. This principle is similar to tenders in the neighbouring countries and in accordance with the European state aid rules.

Permit for the laying of cables in the sea

The second permit is a cable-laying permit. The procedure for obtaining a cable-laying permit in the Belgian part of the North Sea can be found in the Royal Decree of 12 March 2002. This decree defines the rules for the laying of offshore cables (cf. electric cables, telecommunication cables, etc.).

The cable-laying permit is granted by the Minister of the North Sea. If an electric cable is concerned, the Minister of Energy also signs.

To obtain a permit, the applicant submits an application file to the Directorate-General for Energy. The permit application must be in accordance with the provisions of the Royal Decree of 20 March 2002.

If the file is complete and admissible, the Directorate-General for Energy organises a consultation of 40 working days. The relevant authorities will be consulted during the consultation. After the consultation, the file is submitted to the minister who may grant a permit for a maximum period of 40 years, which can be renewedd once for 30 years.

Domain concession for hydroelectric energy storage

The third permit is a domain concession for a hydroelectric energy storage facility. The legal basis for this permit is the Royal Decree of 8 May 2014. The domain concession is granted by the Minister of Energy.

To obtain a domain concession, the applicant submits an application file to the Directorate-General for Energy. The permit application must be in accordance with the provisions of the Royal Decree of 8 May 2014.

If the file is complete and admissible, the Directorate-General for Energy organises a consultation of 30 days. The relevant authorities will be consulted during the consultation. After the consultation, the file is submitted to the minister who may grant a permit for a maximum period of 50 years, which can be renewed once for 25 years.

Contact

Consult the Directorate-General for Energy for more information on the permits.

E-mail: offshore.info@economie.fgov.be