Flemish Energy Agency
Encyclopedia
Flemish Energy Agency is a government agency of the Flemish Region
under the Flemish Ministry of Environment, Nature and Energy, tasked with the preparation and execution of Flemish energy policy
.
for a renewable six year term.
The agency is made up out of the parts, responsible for energy, of the former Division of Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) of the Flemish administration. It currently has some 50 employees.
The agency has its main office in Brussel
and has offices in Gent
and Hasselt
. The agency employs a highly educated, technically trained staff, about two thirds of whom are engineers, legal and environmental protection specialists.
The agency works closely with other Flemish agencies and administrations, as well as with the federal and local governments to develop new decrees and regulations and to enforce existing energy regulations. To enforce the compliance to energy regulations, the agency has the power to impose administrative sanctions, for instance fines, as punishment for non-compliance.
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
under the Flemish Ministry of Environment, Nature and Energy, tasked with the preparation and execution of Flemish energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
.
Overview
The agency was created by a decision of the Flemish government dated April 16, 2004 as part of the government reform project Beter Bestuurlijk Beleid. By a decision of the Flemish Government of March 31, 2006, the agency began operation on April 1, 2006. It is led by an Administrator-General, who is appointed by the Flemish GovernmentFlemish government
The Flemish Government is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region. It consists of up to a maximum of eleven ministers, chosen by the Flemish Parliament...
for a renewable six year term.
The agency is made up out of the parts, responsible for energy, of the former Division of Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) of the Flemish administration. It currently has some 50 employees.
The agency has its main office in Brussel
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and has offices in Gent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
and Hasselt
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
. The agency employs a highly educated, technically trained staff, about two thirds of whom are engineers, legal and environmental protection specialists.
Mission
The Flemish Energy Agency has the following tasks:- The promotion and support of the use of renewable energyRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and green energy; - The promotion and support of energy conservationEnergy conservationEnergy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
by means of:- building standards with regards to energy;
- emission trading;
- covenants with the industry;
- energy demand managementEnergy demand managementEnergy demand management, also known as demand side management , is the modification of consumer demand for energy through various methods such as financial incentives and education...
; - reporting in the field of energy economicsEnergy economicsEnergy economics is a broad scientific subject area which includes topics related to supply and use of energy in societies. Due to diversity of issues and methods applied and shared with a number of academic disciplines, energy economics does not present itself as a self contained academic...
;
- The development and execution of social energy policy;
- Communication to the industry and general public with regard to these aforementioned issues.
The agency works closely with other Flemish agencies and administrations, as well as with the federal and local governments to develop new decrees and regulations and to enforce existing energy regulations. To enforce the compliance to energy regulations, the agency has the power to impose administrative sanctions, for instance fines, as punishment for non-compliance.
See also
- International Energy AgencyInternational Energy AgencyThe International Energy Agency is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis...
- SmartGrids
- Flemish institute for technological researchFlemish institute for technological researchThe Flemish institute for technological research or VITO, is a research centre, located in Mol, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium. The institute performs contract research and develops products and processes in the fields of energy, environment and materials, for both the public and the private sector...
(VITO)