Windfarms in Wallonia are now capable of producing as much power as a nuclear reactor, bringing the Francophone region one step closer to its 2030 energy-production goals.
In 2019, Wallonia's 440-turbine strong windfarm passed the cap of one gigawatt (1 GW), or 1,036.1 megawatts (MW), of installed capacity, Le Soir reports.
The new high was reached on the same year that 45 new turbines were put in operation, according to data from Aspère, a renewable energy non-profit.
Windfarm federation Edora said that Wallonia's wind energy sector was ripe for growth, with the potential energy output hiking significantly in the past three years.
"There are 2,920 MW of projects in the pipeline, up from 1,850 MW in 2017," Fawaz Al Bitar, director of Edora, said, adding that the growth is on track with goals set by the previous Walloon government.
The new power production capacity puts in the French-speaking region on track to produce 2,437 GW per year in 2020 and 4,134 GW per year in 2030, in line with energy-production objectives approved in 2018.
Al Bitar said that the Walloon government should work to ensure the region reaches its energy potential by simplifying the legal and administrative formalities needed for the sector to continue expanding.
"We can reach the 2020 objectives," Al Bitar said. "But for 2030, it will depend on which measures the new government will favour."
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
Correction: This article has been amended to reflect that windfarms in Wallonia can now produce the equivalent in power as a nuclear reactor, not the equivalent in energy.
