With their joint venture Ecowende, Shell and Eneco have won the tender for the construction of an offshore wind farm at Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI.

Ecowende will build a wind farm that will have a minimal impact on nature. The project will be located some 53 kilometres from the Dutch coast, off IJmuiden. The wind farm has an installed capacity of about 760 MW, which is enough to decarbonise about 3% of the current Dutch electricity demand. Shell and Eneco have already taken the final investment decision for this wind farm. Ecowende plans to commission the Hollandse Kust (west) VI offshore wind farm in 2026.

Wael Sawan, Director of Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions at Shell, said: ‘With Ecowende, we will take a huge step in growing our offshore wind portfolio while making a positive contribution to biodiversity. Through this project we can profitably accelerate the large-scale roll-out of offshore wind in the Netherlands and beyond. This fits well with Shell's Powering Progress strategy to deliver more and cleaner energy to our customers, at home, on the road and at work.’

Kees-Jan Rameau, Chief Strategic Growth Officer at Eneco added: ‘Together with Shell, we were at the forefront of the development of offshore wind in the Netherlands. We gained a lot of knowledge, also in the area of ecology, and reported on this. This has contributed to the further development of offshore wind in recent years. It is great that we are now moving into a new phase with Ecowende, with nature as the starting point. This is entirely in line with our ambition to live and act within the natural limits of the planet.’

Minimal impact on nature

The guiding principle in design and construction is to have as little impact as possible on birds, bats and underwater marine life. This includes:

• Creating a corridor for birds by placing the wind turbines extra far apart;
• Using innovative foundation techniques that minimise the impact on marine mammals and marine life;
• Placing natural reef structures on the seabed to boost biodiversity; and
• Together with a group of scientists and experts, implementing and evaluating dozens of innovative solutions for the currently missing knowledge on the ecological impact of offshore wind.

Ecowende aims to set a new ecological benchmark for the development and construction of wind farms in the North Sea and to enable offshore wind farms to have a net positive impact on nature in the future. This is important because there are major ambitions for offshore wind. Acceleration is needed in a way that contributes to nature both above and below the water. More details on the investments, innovations and research programmes will be announced at a later stage, it is understood.