Swedish power company Vattenfall has announced the completion of construction and official inauguration of the Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea.
The King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander has officially inaugurated the offshore wind farm, which is said to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
Hollandse Kust Zuid wind facility is located 18km to 36km off the coasts of Scheveningen and Zandvoort towns, in the Dutch North Sea, and will be serviced out of the port of IJmuiden.
With a total of 139 turbines, the wind farm will have 1.5GW capacity and generate adequate clean electricity to power around 1.5 million households, once it is fully operational in 2024.
Hollandse Kust Zuid is connected to the Dutch grid through two offshore substations, which will be developed and operated by the Dutch transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT.
Vattenfall wind business area head Helene Biström said: “Vattenfall aims to be a leader in the energy transition and offshore wind is essential for energy security and to achieve Net Zero.
“The realisation of a project of this magnitude makes me really proud and today is a great example of what we can achieve when partnering with industry.
“Hollandse Kust Zuid will not only contribute to reduce BASF’s carbon footprint but will also help meet local businesses and households demand for fossil-free electricity.”
The offshore wind farm is owned by Vattenfall, together with Germany-based chemical company Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik (BASF) and financial services company Allianz.
It was built using several advanced techniques, such as a double bubble screen to reduce underwater noise and enlarged holes in the foundations to offer shelter for marine life.
The scour protection was constructed using boulders and rocks of different sizes, and several artificial rock reefs were added to the sites, making them attractive to marine life.
Three turbines in the project are equipped with recently developed recyclable blades, which use a resin that can easily dissolve after the working life of the turbines.
Furthermore, Hollandse Kust Zuid has been the world’s first subsidy-free wind farm, and its grid connection is publicly funded, as part of the Dutch offshore wind policy.
BASF board of executive directors chairman Martin Brudermüller said: “Around half of the electricity from Hollandse Kust Zuid will be used to reduce the carbon footprint of our products at BASF sites in Europe.
“To be part of making that happen makes me also personally very proud and happy. This marks another milestone on our way to climate-neutral production of chemicals.”
Allianz CEO Oliver Bate said: “I am delighted that today we are opening our first direct investment in an offshore wind farm, together with BASF and Vattenfall. This underlines the ability of partnerships to catalyse action and bring climate solutions to life.”
