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Wouter Vandorpe

Wouter Vandorpe

Partner
Baker McKenzie BV/SRL

Biography

Wouter Vandorpe is a partner in the Energy & Infrastructure Practice Group in the Brussels office. He joined Baker McKenzie in 2025.

His practice covers a range of areas, including energy-related state support, grid configurations, authorisations and claims, as well as energy projects like solar, large-scale batteries, wind, flexibility, hydrogen, CCUS, ESG/climate, and natural gas.

He has been mentioned consistently as a leading energy and utilities lawyer in Belgium in publications such as Chambers and Legal 500. Wouter is also a free scientific collaborator at the Institute of Environmental and Energy Law at KU Leuven. As a specialist in European and Belgian energy law, he regularly speaks and writes about various topics related to energy and public law.

Practice Focus

Wouter advises companies and public authorities mainly in energy law matters, more specifically on EU and Belgian regulatory questions, renewable energy projects, as well as concerns relating to energy efficiency, energy contracts, hydrogen, heat networks, and grid configuration issues. He also advises on specific energy legal issues relating to public procurement, building rights, state aid and public law.

To this end, he regularly represents the Belgian Council of State and the Constitutional Court, as well as the European Court of Justice.

Wouter has often been invited as a speaker for new energy-related issues such as hydrogen, charging stations, offshore wind and closed distribution systems. He has given lectures on these topics at the universities of Leuven, Oxford, Moscow, Tromsö (NO), Joensuu (FI), the Flemish Chamber of Commerce (VOKA), CREG, Chamber of Representatives and Flux50, among others. He has been invited several times as an energy resource speaker by the Climate and Innovation and Networks Executive Agency to review CEF Energy Calls and currently has an appointment within the EU regulator ACER's PPAs expert group.

Professional Honors

Wouter is consistently mentioned as a leading Energy & Utilities lawyer in Belgium in publications such as Chambers and Legal 500 (Band 1-Tier 1)

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Institute of Environmental and Energy Law at K.U. Leuven - Free scientific collaborator
  • Member of ACER's PPAs expert group + CINEA expert
  • "Environmental and Energy Law" (M.E.R.) - member of the general editorial board

Admissions

  • Brussels~Belgium (2011)

Education

  • Catholic University of Leuven (LL.M. Energy and Environmental Law , cum laude) (2006)
  • University of Ghent (Law Degree cum laude) (2005)

Languages

  • Dutch
  • French
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • German

Publications

  • W. Vandorpe and N. Celis, "Belgisch juridisch kader voor energieopslag op federaal en gewestelijk niveau," Jaarboek Energierecht 2024, Intersentia, May 2025
  • W. Vandorpe and G. Baclin, "Analyse du cadre juridique applicable aux infrastructures de recharge de véhicules électriques en Région bruxelloise. La Région bruxelloise a-t-elle passé la deuxième?" Energierecht in Brussel: quelles alternatives aux énergies fossiles?, Intersentia, 2024, Chapter 6
  • W. Vandorpe and N. Celis, "Ins en outs van power purchase agreements (PPA’s) in de energiesector," Jaarboek Energierecht 2023, Intersentia, Mei 2024
  • W. Vandorpe, D. Haverbeke, N. Celis and G. Baclin, "New Potential Advantages for Renewable Energy Projects under EU Green Deal Implementation: Part One," Lexology, Energy and Natural Resources, September 2023
  • W. Vandorpe, D. Haverbeke, N. Celis and L. Driessen, "Parliament Takes Lead in Hydrogen Transport with New Hydrogen Act," Lexology, Energy and Natural Resources, September 2023
  • W. Vandorpe, "Country Report: Belgium," Capacity Mechanisms in the EU Energy Markets, Oxford University Press, Oxford, January 2023, 258-279
  • W. Vandorpe, "Grijze revival in tijden van (klimaat)crisis," editorial, Tijdschrift voor Milieu-en Energierecht (MER), nr.1, 2023
  • W. Vandorpe and D. Haverbeke, "Iedereen fan van laadpalen, Recente ervaringen in de regelgevingen over laadinfrastructuur," Jaarboek Energierecht 2021, Intersentia, October 2022
  • W. Vandorpe and D. Haverbeke, "Hydrogen in Belgium: the beginning of the H2 revolution?" Lexology, Energy and Natural Resources, August 2022