Nothing is Certain
In an opinion piece in Trends, Kris Voorspools, director of the sector organization Cogen, warns about the major problems that could arise due to an uncoordinated energy policy. Once again, it becomes clear that there are no certainties, and businesses should prepare accordingly. At Antec, we can help you with that.
“The uncoordinated policy threatens to create a gap in Belgium’s electricity supply with a greater impact than the nuclear phase-out.”
The Future of Cogeneration is at Risk
Cogeneration, also known as CHP (Combined Heat and Power), is in danger of disappearing. Many operators of CHP installations are considering replacing their units with electric boilers once their systems are depreciated.
You may have never heard of cogeneration, but this technology currently plays a crucial role in our energy supply.
What is Cogeneration?
Cogeneration is a technology that efficiently utilizes the heat generated during electricity production. This is far more efficient than producing electricity and heat separately, making it an ideal solution for the energy transition.
- If you use fossil fuels, CHP significantly reduces CO2 emissions due to its efficiency.
- If you use renewable fuels, CHP extracts more energy from scarce renewable sources thanks to its higher efficiency.
- CHP is flexible, which will be essential in an energy system increasingly reliant on wind and solar power, which cannot always adapt to fluctuations in energy demand.
Policy Issues Jeopardizing Cogeneration
Despite its benefits, cogeneration is not receiving sufficient support. Belgium’s fragmented energy policy creates a regulatory deadlock:
- Heat is managed at a regional level, while electricity production falls under federal jurisdiction.
- Regional policymakers see CHP only as a heat source, overlooking its electricity production benefits.
- Federal policymakers see CHP only as an electricity producer, ignoring its heat recovery advantages.
This leads to contradictory policies:
✔ Regional policies classify cogeneration as inefficient, failing to consider its electricity production benefits.
✔ Federal policies categorize cogeneration as an inefficient power plant, disregarding its heat recovery benefits.
✔ A new policy proposal on building heating even aims to phase out cogeneration entirely.
A striking example of this flawed policy is that cogeneration investments in heat recovery do not qualify for federal support mechanisms, while traditional power plants can count cooling tower investments (which waste heat) as part of their subsidies.
A Major Impact on Energy Supply
The importance of cogeneration is being underestimated across all levels of policymaking, putting its future at risk. Replacing cogeneration with electric boilers aligns with electrification goals but would have devastating consequences.
Currently, Belgium has over 1,000 cogeneration installations producing 3,000 MW of electricity while simultaneously delivering 4,000 MW of heat. If these systems were replaced by electric boilers, the country would lose 3,000 MW of power generation capacity while also requiring an additional 4,000 MW of electricity to operate the boilers.
👉 Total impact: a 7,000 MW shift in electricity demand and production.
To put this into perspective:
- Belgium’s nuclear phase-out removes 6,000 MW from seven nuclear reactors.
- The disappearance of cogeneration could have an impact of 7,000 MW, spread across over 1,000 local installations.
This uncoordinated policy could cause a massive energy gap in Belgium over the next 10 years—one that could surpass the impact of the nuclear phase-out.
A ticking time bomb that few people even realize exists.
Read the full article in Trends.
Want to explore how to prepare for these uncertainties? Contact us today for a free consultation!
