De Watergroep (Flanders) aims to become an energy-neutral company by 2030, with plans to produce as much renewable energy on its sites as it consumes. To achieve this, De Watergroep is investing in sustainable technologies, including solar parks and wind turbines.

To drive these efforts, De Watergroep has partnered with the BESIX Group consortium – PerPetum Energy and Rebel Development – to develop, build, finance, and maintain renewable energy plants across its sites. By 2030, these installations are expected to generate around 92 gigawatt-hours annually, which is equivalent to the energy consumption of 27,000 Flemish households and would reduce De Watergroep’s CO₂ emissions by 76.2%. Through a Power Purchase Agreement, De Watergroep will repurchase an amount of green energy equal to its total annual electricity consumption, with this renewable power sourced directly from installations on its premises.

Nature-Inclusive Solutions for Sustainable Development

De Watergroep’s renewable energy strategy includes a diverse mix of technologies: wind turbines, floating and ground-mounted solar panels, and energy storage solutions such as batteries. The company has approximately 1,200 hectares of land and four large water reservoirs available for these installations. To promote biodiversity, these installations will incorporate “nature-inclusive” designs, including flower meadows, small landscape features such as branch walls and amphibian pools, and dedicated nesting sites. If floating solar parks are constructed on water reservoirs, breeding islands for birds will also be established.

The first renewable installations are scheduled to be operational in 2026, and will supply green electricity to De Watergroep, with the full deployment set to be completed by 2030.

A substantial portion of the project’s funding will come from crowdfunding and crowdlending, making this one of the largest crowdfunding campaigns in Europe.

For more information, visit De Watergroep’s website.