Prime Minister De Croo wants the government to find a solution for Ventilus

De Croo traveled to Denmark on Wednesday, where he signed an agreement in the port city of Esbjerg with his colleagues from the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark to turn the North Sea into one large power plant. The aim is to increase the capacity of the wind turbines in the North Sea tenfold by 2050.

All that power that the North Sea countries want to generate at sea must of course be fed into the electricity grid. To this end, the Belgian high-voltage operator Elia is planning a new high-voltage line in West Flanders: Ventilus. But there is a lot of protest against that project. Action groups want the high-voltage line to go underground, but experts point out that this is technically difficult to achieve. It is up to the Flemish government to make the decision: above ground or underground. Minister De Croo points to the social importance of Ventilus. “Everyone agrees that we should emit less greenhouse gases, that we should become energy independent and that we should support our industry. Well, then that electricity has to reach land,” says De Croo.

The prime minister admits that it is not an easy decision. “It is not an easy decision, but there is no other choice. A solution with respect for the local residents is possible.”

However, De Croo is “reasonably reassured” that the Flemish government will find a solution.