According to a 2008 European environmental directive, Belgium will achieve 13% renewable energy by 2020 in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This objective will be achieved in part through the installation of windmills in the sea, an effort that requires multiple construction and operation licenses. Certain legislations and procedures must be followed prior to consent, including domain concession, environmental impact assessments and the establishment of necessary cables.

Currently there are three projects with approved domain concessions for the construction and operation of wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea: C-Power, Belwind and Eldepasco. Several new offshore wind energy initiatives are currently under way. ARCADIS has been involved in the environmental reporting of all wind farms in the Belgian North Sea dating back to 2001. In addition to domain concession and other contracts in the coastal and marine sector, ARCADIS has been responsible for EIA, which includes studying all effects during the installation, operation and decommissioning phases; the temporary effect of environmental and habitat disturbances during installation and the operational impacts on soil and water, wildlife, fisheries, and shipping; the effects of cabling on soil and animals; and finally, the cumulative effect of the three parks, including the transboundary consequences to the Netherlands. The general conclusion was that all the effects are within acceptable standards and that there are no unacceptably significant adverse effects.