2023-08-09 22:27:07
August 08, 2023 Today at 08:18
According to experts, the capacity deficit anticipated by Elia can only be filled if Belgium builds at least one new gas-fired power plant.
To cope with the increase in demand for electricity, Belgium must acquire significant additional production capacity in the years to come. At the end of June, the operator of the high-voltage network Elia declared in this regard thata deficit of 3.5 gigawatts should be closed by 2034. Elia did not specify how this should be done, but, according to several experts, at least one other large gas-fired power plant will be needed in addition to the two that are being built near Liège.
“Now it looks like at least one new large gas-fired power station needs to be built.”
Sam Hamels
Energy Economist at Ghent University
“When it is very cold, there are clouds and there is no wind for four consecutive days, you need flexible conventional productionlike a gas-fired power station that you can turn on and off for several days at the push of a button,” says Sam Hamels, energy economist at Ghent University.
“Since the shortfall cannot be entirely filled by alternatives, it now looks like at least one new large gas-fired power station needs to be built,” he continues.
Ronnie Belmans, professor emeritus of energy systems at KU Leuven, also believes that Belgium still needs a gas-fired power station. “The batteries will not be enough to cope with the famous “dunkelflaute”, that is to say several days in a row with little sun and wind.”
An increased need for electricity
Pieter Vingerhoets, an energy modeling specialist at the Energyville research institute, replaces the Belgian challenge in an international context. “If you consider the amount of renewable energy installed, Europe will not meet the targets set for 2030, in particular with regard to the ambitions for wind energy,” he explains.
“Besides, European hydrogen targets will require even more electricity. I think we will end up with a deficit in Europe which will have to be filled by fossil capacities. Increasing nuclear capacity will not work in such a short time.“
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