Belgian grid operator Elia has chosen 40 projects with a proposed combined power output of nearly 4.5 GW in an auction using a capacity remuneration mechanism (CRM) that was approved by the European commission amidst criticism that it could lead to the construction of additional gas-fired capacity to compensate for a planned nuclear phaseout.

The auction was for the 2025-2026 delivery year and the first to use the new mechanism since it was approved. Belgium is due to phase out its seven nuclear plants by 2025.

Among the projects, there are two new combined-cycle gas-fired plant projects in Vilvoorde and Les Awirs with a pledged total capacity of about 1.6 GW, Elia said. The plants, construction of which has not yet begun, are being planned by French multinational energy company Engie and its Belgian subsidiary Electrabel.