Half of Belgium’s power will be provided by non-hydro renewables by 2030, filling the gap left by nuclear plant closures.

That’s according to analytics firm GlobalData, which says the nation is due to lose a significant proportion of its generation capacity by the end of 2025 as aging nuclear facilities retire, leading to a demand shortfall of 3.6GW.

The country’s lack of domestic fossil-fuel reserves and a nearly-maximised hydropower potential means it will have to increasingly rely on non-hydro renewables – it cannot afford to depend too heavily on electricity imports.

GlobalData says non-hydro renewable capacity is expected to increase at an annual rate of 7.1% over the next 12 years, reaching 18.7GW.

It says the nation’s small land area means potential for new solar and onshore wind power generation is limited, meaning it will largely have to rely on cogeneration facilities alongside offshore wind generation.

Chiradeep Chatterjee, Power Industry Analyst at GlobalData, said: “The answer to this challenge is likely to lie in creating an infrastructure that will boost energy efficiency, leading to a lower growth in electricity consumption.

“Belgium should also invest in energy storage technologies, including grid-based storage, which will help in meeting demand when production from renewable sources is low.”