Shell and Eneco are taking part in the zero-subsidy tender for the Hollandse Kust West zone in the Dutch North Sea through their joint ventures Ecowende and SchakelWind.
The Hollandse Kust West wind farm zone is located approximately 53 km off the west coast of the Netherlands, auctioned in two separate tenders. It is expected that the sites will supply enough energy to ‘green’ approximately 6% of the Dutch electricity demand.
Through Ecowende, the two companies said they are aiming to build an offshore wind farm with a flourishing ecosystem, minimum impact on birds and bats and an undisturbed underwater world. Ecowende has developed a programme for this with solutions and innovative experiments that would be implemented with dozens of partners, including experts, knowledge institutions and commercial partners from the Netherlands and abroad.
With the SchakelWind, Shell and Eneco have set out to establish a new benchmark for the integration of offshore wind farms: a net positive impact on the Dutch energy system. In addition to the wind farm Hollandse Kust West site VII, SchakelWind will be making a large number of investments throughout the country together with businesses.
Marjan van Loon, president-director of Shell Netherlands, said: “We are taking the next step by enabling the large-scale roll-out of offshore wind, in collaboration with Eneco. Through our bids for Hollandse Kust (west) we are investing significantly in the production of green energy and hydrogen. In this way, we work responsibly, and together with our customers, on a broader and cleaner energy system in the Netherlands.”
