Vattenfall and BASF to Compete in Next Dutch Offshore Wind Tender

Vattenfall will participate in the offshore wind farm tender for Hollandse Kust West Sites VI and VII in the Dutch North Sea, partnering with the chemicals producer BASF for Site VI.

The Hollandse Kust West wind farm zone is located approximately 53 kilometers off the west coast of the Netherlands.

The full area is auctioned in two separate tenders, with each of the sites accomodating 700 MW of capacity.

To win the tender for Site VI, the bidding parties have to include ecological measures in their concept, whereas Site VII requires investments and innovations which are beneficial for the Dutch Energy System.

The tenders for both sites close on May 12, 2022. A decision on who won the tender is expected after summer.

”We are pleased to see the Dutch government’s decision to continue its successful approach to offshore wind roll-out and award sites in a tender based on qualitative criteria, this time focusing on ecology and system integration,” said Helene Biström, head of BA Wind at Vattenfall.

”This approach pushes developers to deliver their very best proposals, stimulates innovation and sees the Netherlands taking the lead in offshore wind development, which benefits the energy transition and society as a whole. Vattenfall has a strong presence in the Dutch market and is committed to take a leading role in the green transformation of the Dutch economy. Hollandse Kust West is an important next step towards our ambition to create fossil-free living within one generation.”

Vattenfall and BASF are also partners on the 1.5 GW Hollandse Kust Zuid, the world’s first subsidy-free offshore wind project where recently the first of the 140 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW wind turbines was installed. Hollandse Kust Zuid will also be the largest wind farm in operation once commissioned in 2023.

”Offshore wind farms will play a decisive role for the use of innovative, low-emission technologies in our chemical production in Europe,” said Dr. Lars Kissau, President BASF SE, Net Zero Accelerator and responsible for renewable energies, alternative raw materials and CO2 reduction technologies.

”That’s why we have already acquired a stake in Vattenfall’s Hollands Kust Zuid wind farm. With a joint bid for Hollandse Kust West Site VI, we are now taking this partnership one step further and BASF is participating at the earliest possible stage in a project that combines our need for additional amounts of renewable energy with ecological aspects in the marine area.”

The North Sea has good wind conditions and there are significant synergies to the nearby Hollandse Kust Zuid, the companies said.

In addition, Hollandse Kust West, for which first power generation is expected in 2026, fits well with Vattenfall’s North Sea wind farm pipeline and can therefore easily be incorporated into the current procurement and execution strategy.

Vattenfall has built its own dedicated team of specialists and experts, the Environment & Sustainability Unit, including an in-house bioscience department and sustainability experts who actively work with Vattenfall teams to minimize the impact projects have on the ecosystem, and aim for net positive impact on biodiversity in 2030.

Especially in the field of biodiversity and ecology, the team is active to drive and participate in environmental R&D to understand the impact and mitigation measures in offshore & onshore wind. At Hollandse Kust Zuid, the unit started a joint study with nature conservation organization De Rijke Noordzee to find out if nature-inclusive turbine foundation design can benefit the local ecosystem.

”We leverage our strengths as a leading offshore wind developer and industrial player, both deeply committed to sustainability and biodiversity preservation, to develop an ecologically beneficial project,” said Dr. Eva Philipp, head of the Environment & Sustainability Unit at Vattenfall.

”We believe that offshore wind growth needs to be developed in co-existence with nature and society to facilitate a sustainable future. Our HKW bid involves significant investment as well as world-first innovations to benefit naturally occurring biodiversity in the Dutch North Sea and a sustainable offshore wind sector.”

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