Application for the first large wind turbines in Brussels

There are currently only two small wind turbines in the Brussels area: on top of Sibelga's headquarters, and one on the roof of car manufacturer Toyota. A few years ago, a pilot project for a large version was in the works at the Coca-Cola site in Anderlecht. But this ultimately failed due to unfavorable advice from the Consultation Committee.

However, that could change. A permit application was recently submitted to build a large wind turbine at the Audi Brussels site in Forest. “The plant has been CO2 neutral since 2018,” explains Peter Dore, spokesman for Audi Brussels. “Prior to that, the site ran exclusively on green energy, coming largely from 107,000 square meters of solar panels.

to improve

“Our ambition remains to improve. That's why we sat down with Eneco to see how we can do this. In addition to the expansion of the number of solar panels planned soon, a proposal to build large wind turbines has also been submitted. Eneco has recently applied for a permit for this.

The wind turbines are mainly intended to supply energy to the plant. “But with solar panels, we transfer the remaining generated energy to the grid at times when we need less energy. If approval follows, this will also be the case with wind turbines.”

Legislative framework

At the moment, we are still awaiting a decision on the permit application. A former wind turbine in Anderlecht received negative advice from the advisory committee due to potential noise pollution. The spokesman added that this would not be the case at the Audi Vorst site due to its location near the E19.

Environment Minister Alain Maron (Ecolo) also said last time that the project at the Coca-Cola site was rejected mainly due to the lack of a legislative framework for the installation of large wind turbines. This is still the case, confirms the office of the Secretary of State for Urban Planning, Ans Perssons (Vooruit.brussels).

“This framework will be included in the review of the regional zoning plan, which is the task of the next government,” she added. The government confirms that requesting a permit is still possible, and that the absence of a legislative framework certainly does not mean an automatic “no” to approval. “This essentially means that they are now operating within a less clear framework,” the spokesperson says.