Minister Demir: In the coming weeks, decisions will be made regarding a new high voltage line

The Ventilus project, a new high-voltage line in West Flanders that should bring offshore wind power to shore, has been protesting for years from a number of West Flemish municipalities. After all, Ventilus operates partly via existing high voltage lines, but also includes kilometers of new overhead lines, parallel to the E403. Local residents and action committees are concerned, among other things, about the impact of the high voltage on their health, but also about visual pollution and the potential consumption of real estate in the area. Citizens’ movements prefer to see high voltage lines being built underground.

In February last year, the Flemish government appointed an observer on the file. According to Demir, this delivered his final report last month. In October, the network operator and initiator again urged Ilya to make quick decisions. She said at the time that she could not start work without a permit, and it would take at least three years. Moreover, offshore wind energy is becoming increasingly important in the energy mix. Last fall, the federal government announced its intention to triple the capacity of Belgium’s wind energy parks, in part by deploying larger wind turbines.

Meanwhile, the file has not yet been settled, but Demir held a conversation today with a delegation of civil movements Leefbaar E403, Z4, Platform Huba and Begraaf Ventilus Zedelgem. That conversation took place in the town hall of Izchem. There were also independent researchers, farmers, and a local entrepreneurship platform. Demir says they also support the appeal for new underground high-voltage lines.

The minister does not anticipate the decision-making process, but will hold talks with Flemish alliance partners CD&V and Open Vld in the coming weeks. “In the coming weeks, we will discuss all the positions and decisions that must be taken,” she stressed. “It is a very complex and difficult file, and I, as a minister, do not deal with it alone. It must be a decision of the entire Flemish government, which I cannot foresee. But the least we can do is listen.”