Flemish Ports Minister Annick De Ridder symbolically helped launch the construction of the new 380/150kV high-voltage substation Baekeland in Ghent on Monday 15 December 2025. As a result, North Sea Port and the surrounding industrial zones will have more and better access to electricity to support the energy transition. The first steps have already been taken: steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal Belgium will be directly connected to the new high-voltage grid from 2030.
The substation will be built beside the R4-East ring road in Ghent. This €400 million investment will become a crucial hub in Belgium’s electricity grid.
The Ghent part of North Sea Port is one of Belgium's largest industrial clusters. More and more industrial players are switching from fossil fuels – such as oil and gas – to electricity-based production processes. One of them is steelmaker ArcelorMittal Belgium, which has signed a contract with Elia in Ghent for a direct connection to the 380kV grid. This is important for the future electrification of steel production processes.
“By putting the first spade in the ground, we are taking an essential step towards electric steel production at ArcelorMittal in Gent. The 380kV connection, which will be operational by 2030, gives us the capacity assurance to switch to electric blast furnaces quickly when the time is right. This is a cornerstone in our decarbonisation journey: once the preconditions are met, we will be ready to make the switch and produce low-carbon steel in Belgium on an industrial scale."
"In these geopolitically challenging times, projects like Baekeland are essential: they strengthen the Ghent port area, support our strategic sectors and make our industry internationally competitive. This ensures that Flanders remains the gateway to Europe, now and in the future."
A high-voltage substation receives electricity via cables and overhead lines. Transformers convert it to different voltage levels for large consumers and distribution. Baekeland, located on a 15-hectare site at Lange Mate/Hulsdonk, will become an important link in the backbone of our Belgian electricity system, thanks to its location between the coast and the ports of Ghent and Antwerp. As a result of Baekeland, more energy-intensive companies and production units will be able to connect directly to the high-voltage grid, at all voltage levels: large consumers to the 380kV grid, other customers to the 150kV grid or lower voltage levels (36kV or at distribution level).
“In its new Impact 2030 strategic plan, North Sea Port envisages reducing CO2 emissions by 8 million tons by 2035. Large-scale electrification of energy-intensive industries is crucial to achieving this. The Baekeland project represents a strategic upgrade of the high-voltage grid in and around the port that will eventually contribute to a climate-neutral port."
In other words, thanks to Baekeland, the port and the surrounding region will have better access to larger volumes of electricity. Baekeland will deliver a 40% capacity increase on the 150kV grid, Elia’s response to increased electricity demand in the region.
The Baekeland high-voltage substation is named after Ghent chemist Leo Baekeland, the inventor of Bakelite.
The high-voltage substation will be commissioned in several stages, most of which are planned for 2030. Elia is creating a 10-metre green buffer around the site.
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