Wind Energy – Nature-friendly
Ecowende is going to build the Hollandse Kust West-alfa wind farm in harmony with nature, with minimal impact on birds, bats and marine mammals, and with a thriving underwater world.
The aim is to enable offshore wind farms to have a net positive impact in the near future. This is a key condition for eventually achieving the ambition of 70 GW of offshore wind energy by 2050 without exceeding the ecological limits of the North Sea.
The joint venture of Shell and Eneco is going to implement various innovations, large-scale mitigating and stimulating ecological measures, and an extensive above and under water monitoring and research programme.
“When putting together our set of measures in consultation with a broad group of experts, we have taken into account the measures that are already being implemented in the wind farms around us as well as the latest scientific findings. Some of the measures will have an immediate impact, while many other are intended to try out new methods and fill knowledge gaps. The knowledge that we possess on the effects of wind farms on nature is not yet complete. This knowledge is indispensable if we want to expand offshore wind energy in the Netherlands in a responsible manner,” explained Folkert Visser, CEO and project director of Ecowende.
Ecowende’s wind farm at Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI will be located some 53 kilometres off the Dutch coast at IJmuiden. With an installed capacity of about 760 MW, Ecowende can ‘green’ about 3% of the current Dutch electricity demand. The wind farm is planned to be commissioned in 2026. Click here for more information about Ecowende, including the full overview of innovations and ecological measures.
