The Netherlands – The tender for the construction of an offshore wind farm at Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI was won by Shell and Eneco’s joint venture Ecowende, according to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
A wind farm being constructed by Ecowende will have no effect on the environment. The project will be situated off IJmuiden, 53 kilometers from the Dutch coast. About 3% of the current Dutch power demand can be decarbonized using the wind farm’s built capacity of 760 MW. For this wind farm, Shell and Eneco have already made their final investment decision. The Hollandse Kust (west) VI offshore wind farm will be put into operation by Ecowende in 2026.
The fact that the parties had to submit a cash offer is what was novel about the tenders. This generates € 63.5 million for the government after deducting Ecowende’s fees for the environmental impact analyses and location studies. With this money, new wind farms will be built that blend in with the surroundings and are combined with other activities in the North Sea.
Nature-inclusive
The evaluation of the applications now includes the additional factor of “ecology.” It is crucial to preserve the North Sea’s biodiversity and healthy environment. The goal is to construct an offshore wind farm with a healthy ecology and with as minimal negative influence on the environment and nature as feasible. The winning wind farm has a “nature-inclusive” design that includes a segment with wind turbines that are widely separated so that birds can fly safely between them. The impact on the undersea environment is measured and reduced using a variety of piling techniques.
Goals for 2030
Around 2030, all proposed offshore wind farms will supply around 75% of the current electricity demand. By around 2030, the government has increased its goal for offshore wind energy to about 21 GW. Approximately 2.5 GW of offshore wind energy is now operational, and several wind farms are being built or granted permits. The Roadmap for Wind Energy at Sea 2030 outlines how and when the specified wind energy sites will be developed between 2024 and 2031.
The applications were evaluated by a separate expert group and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
