SHELL, ENECO RENEWABLE INVESTMENT

SHELL - Jul 29, 2020 - The CrossWind consortium, a joint venture between Shell in the Netherlands and Eneco, is delighted to have been awarded the tender for the subsidy-free offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (noord). The wind farm will help to meet the objectives of the Dutch Climate Accord and the EU's Green Deal. Both companies have already taken their final investment decisions on the project.

The consortium plans to have Hollandse Kust (noord) operational in 2023 with an installed capacity of 759 MW, generating at least 3.3 TWh per year. This is enough renewable power to supply more than 1 million Dutch households with green electricity. The wind farm will be located 18.5 kilometres off the coast of The Netherlands near the town of Egmond aan Zee.

Offshore wind projects produce intermittent electricity. Balancing these dips and peaks and integrating this electricity into the national energy system requires new technologies. That is why the offshore wind farm will include the following five technology demonstrations that could be implemented at full-scale in the future: a floating solar park; short-term battery storage; turbines that are optimally tuned to the network to minimise the negative ‘wake’-effects that wind turbines have on each other; ‘green hydrogen’ made by electrolysis as a further storage technique and the combination of these individual measures to ensure a continuous power supply regardless of the wind situation.

Working together is crucial for the transition to a cleaner energy system across Europe and within each country. For this reason, the CrossWind team intends to work closely with universities and scientific institutions to develop further technical innovations. We intend to share the lessons learned from developing this wind farm with a broad audience – varying from the academic world to the general public.

Maarten Wetselaar, Director of Shell Integrated Gas and New Energies, comments: “We are proud to realise Hollandse Kust (noord) together with our joint venture partner, Eneco. Offshore wind will play a pivotal role in the worldwide energy transition. It will also be another important next step in our ambition to become a net-zero emission energy business by 2050 or sooner, in step with society. This wind farm is a crucial part of a new value chain – from wind to hydrogen – with our ambition to build a green hydrogen plant in Rotterdam and with NortH2. This investment fits very well with Shell’s aspirations to competitively deliver more and cleaner energy to our customers, at home, on the go and at work.”

Kees-Jan Rameau, Chief Strategic Growth Officer Eneco, adds: “We are pleased that we, together with our trusted partners, are making another major contribution to the Dutch energy transition. We are using our combined experience, expertise and financial capacity for the rapid realisation of the first offshore innovative wind farm focused on system integration. The sustainable, locally generated energy will make an important contribution to our ambition to support every household and company in the Netherlands to switch to a sustainable and clean energy supply.”

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