RWE has received the necessary permit from Netherlands Enterprise Agency to build a large-scale offshore wind farm – the 760 MW Hollandse Kust West VII – to be located in the North Sea, 53 km off the Dutch coast.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO Offshore Wind, RWE Renewables, commented: “We are pleased to have been awarded this offshore wind project by the Dutch government. This represents an important step on the road towards growing our global offshore wind capacity to 8 GW by 2030. Based on our 20 years of experience in developing, constructing and operating offshore wind farms, we have delivered a unique concept for the project. We are looking forward to realising this wind farm hand in hand with the local communities.”
RWE’s ultimate goal is to perfectly match the demand for energy to the flexible generation profile of offshore wind farms, contributing to grid stability. To achieve full system integration, the concept for HKW VII combines offshore wind with electrolyser capacity for green hydrogen production, and other flexible demand solutions like e-boilers and battery storage. In addition RWE plans to install floating solar panels at the site to ‘allow a more efficient use of ocean space.’
The wind farm is expected to be in full operation no later than 5 years after the permit is irrevocable, allowing it to contribute to the Dutch build-out targets for offshore wind, ie 21 GW of capacity by 2030 and 70 GW by 2050.
RWE has also submitted a bid for HKW VI with an innovative ecological concept to deliver a positive biodiversity impact. The outcome of this tender is expected by the end of this year.
