Aurubis signs sustainable energy agreement with green energy producer Luminus and helps inaugurate the wind farm in Hannut

f.l.t.r. Manu Douette, Thomas Courtois, Frederik Snoeck, Hans Van De Water, Cécile Neven, Grégoire Dallemagne, Pieter-Jan Verhaegen, Marie Jacqmin and Loïc Jacob

Luminus, Belgium's leading onshore wind energy company, has reached a major milestone in its development with the inauguration of the Hannut wind farm and the installation of its 300th wind turbine. This event illustrates the company’s contribution to the development of renewable energy in Belgium, and consequently to the energy transition and the achievement of carbon neutrality.

Wind turbines serving businesses and citizens

The Hannut wind farm is home to Luminus’ 300th wind turbine. It consists of five wind turbines with a total capacity of 18 MW. Each year, it will produce around 57,300 MWh of green electricity, equivalent to the consumption of 15,500 families, while avoiding the emission of nearly 15,300 tonnes of CO₂.

This project is part of a collaborative approach involving citizens and businesses:

• On the one hand, it hosts the first citizen-owned wind turbine of Plenty, a new Belgian energy cooperative that aims to give every citizen the opportunity to invest in local renewable energy. This approach aligns perfectly with Luminus’ desire to invest in strong local roots.
• On the other hand, a significant portion of the electricity produced by the farm will go directly to Aurubis, a global leader in copper recycling and a supplier of non-ferrous metals. Thanks to a 15-year Corporate PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) for green electricity, Aurubis is guaranteed a fixed price for the energy produced by four of the wind turbines in the farm. The company thus becomes the owner of the renewable electricity produced by these machines, enabling it to strengthen its competitiveness while reducing its ecological footprint. « At Aurubis, we are constantly striving to make our production processes more sustainable and further reduce our ecological footprint. We have a clear ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. With this agreement, we are taking another important step towards achieving our long-term sustainability goals. From 2026 onwards, more than a quarter of our electricity consumption for Aurubis Beerse will come directly from green electricity produced by the Hannut wind farm. This will enable us to reduce our ecological footprint by 180,000 tonnes of CO₂ over the term of the contract. This collaboration is therefore perfectly in line with our vision of investing in renewable energy as a leader in the recycling industry, reducing our carbon footprint, and contributing to the energy transition in Belgium, » explains Hans Van de Water, Managing Director at Aurubis Beerse.

These partnerships illustrate how Luminus is bringing together industrial players and communities in the energy transition, offering sustainable access to local and 100% renewable energy.

300 wind turbines, 1 ambition: changing energy

“Luminus embarked on its wind power adventure in 2001 and now has 300 wind turbines. The inauguration of the Hannut wind farm and the installation of our 300th wind turbine are much more than a symbolic milestone: they are concrete proof of our commitment to investing in a sustainable energy future for all. But what is truly exciting is that behind these machines are colleagues, men and women committed to the planet, who dedicate their time and energy every day to transform wind into electricity. Each wind turbine tells a story: that of a passionate team, comitted partners, and communities who believed in the project. The 300th wind turbine is a symbol of 25 years of progress, innovation, and collaboration,” says Grégoire Dallemagne, CEO of Luminus.

Annex

25 years of transforming wind into energy

It all began in 2001 with the creation of the first “Wind Project” team and the first measurements in Vinalmont to assess wind potential. A few years later, in 2005, Luminus inaugurated its first wind farms: six wind turbines in Hesbaye in Villers-le-Bouillet, and 11 wind turbines in Kluizendok in the port of Ghent, combining agricultural and industrial areas.

These pioneering projects marked the concrete beginning of Luminus’ wind energy adventure. They were the company’s first investments in Belgium’s energy transition, long before wind energy became as widespread as it is today. These achievements served as the foundation for all of the company’s subsequent wind energy developments:

• 2009: milestone of 50 wind turbines and the birth of the first public/private/citizen partnerships in Villers-le-Bouillet – Verlaine.
• 2015: commissioning of the 100th wind turbine in the port of Ghent and creation of the Luminus WindTogether cooperative. Creation of EDF Renewables Services Belgium in Villers: an important milestone strengthening local roots and operational capabilities in wind farm maintenance.
• 2017: following the adoption of the CoDT (Territorial Development Code) in Wallonia, the installation of wind turbines is explicitly authorized in economic activity zones (ZAE). Luminus installed its first wind turbine at an industrial site, which thus benefits from carbon-free energy.
• 2019: milestone of 200 wind turbines and 500 MW installed, with farms in forest and industrial areas.
• 2024: start of repowering projects with a permit for phase 1 of Kluizendok, demonstrating Luminus’ maturity and continuous innovation.
• 2025: permit obtained in September for the first repowering project in Wallonia, in Walcourt.

Diverse territories, strong alliances

Over the years, Luminus has succesfully adapted its projects to different types of sites - agricultural, industrial, forestry, or business grounds - while forging strong partnerships with private companies and intermunicipal organizations. Wind farms are not only producers of green electricity: they reflect Luminus’ ability to reconcile preservation of the planet with well-being and development.

Since embarking on its wind energy adventure, Luminus has deployed 300 wind turbines across Belgium, with an installed capacity of 807 MW, contributing significantly to green electricity production and strengthening the country’s energy transition. These installations were designed with a focus on balancing natural and agricultural areas, and many incorporate concrete measures to protect biodiversity.