Strategy and National Targets
Belgium has to increase its share or renewable in the gross final energy consumption to 13% by 2020. According to Eurostat, this share was 4.6% in 2009. The burden sharing between the Federal and regional states is still a point of discussion. On the Federal level, a strong increase is observed in 2010/2011 and will continue in the next years, mainly due to the developments for offshore wind (target set at 2 GW, currently 195 MW installed offshore). No specific targets have yet been set for wave or tidal current energy.

Support Initiatives and Market Stimulation Incentives
Belgium has implemented the system of Tradable Green Certificates (TGC) to support energy production from renewables. The regional Government of Flanders has approved a TGC for wave and tidal current energy of €90/MWh, guaranteed for 10 years, but it is to date unclear if this TGC could be applied since the sea area from the low water mark is under Federal, and not regional, jurisdiction. On the other hand, the Federal Government has approved a TGC for ‘hydroenergy’ for €50/MWh (10 years) but to date it is unclear if ‘hydroenergy’ also encompasses wave or tidal current energy, since hydroenergy is not defined as such in the Federal law. If wave and tidal current energy were excluded from ‘hydroenergy’, support would have to fall back on the lowest TGC available, which is €20/MWh. Hence, there is significant uncertainty about the exact level of support. The Federal Department of Economy started up an evaluation in conjunction with the stakeholders to adapt this support system and to provide clarity and certainty about the exact support tariff.

Main Public Funding Mechanisms
The Flemish Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (www.iwt.be) has co-funded the FlanSea project for €2.4 million (with €1.3 million funded by the private partners). The Federal Belgian Science policy has funded the BOREAS project (Belgian Ocean Energy Assessment, €180,000).

Relevant Legislation and Regulation
The Federal Government slightly modified the Northern and Southern boundaries of the zone for the ‘exploitation for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy’ in February 2011. This was mainly due to shipping lanes and navigation, but the total area did not change. The main focus for this zone is offshore wind, but it is explicitly open for wave and tidal current energy applications as well.

Relevant documents released
The BOREAS final report was released by the end of 2011 on the Belgian Science Policy website (www.belspo.be). 

Government Funded R&D
The FlanSea project, which aims at constructing a wave energy buoy for the low wave energy on the Belgian Part of the North Sea and the moderate wave climates further in the North Sea, entered its second year of development. The project partners are DEME Blue Energy, Cloostermans, Harbour of Ostend, Electrawinds, Spiromatic, CONTEC and 4 research groups from Ghent University. The BOREAS (Belgian Ocean Energy Assessment) project was finalised in 2011 and the report is available at www.belspo.be. 

Participation in Collaborative International Projects
Ghent University participates in the WECWakes project, funded by Hydralab in order to assess wave energy convertor farm interactions in a physical wave flume (€225 thousands).