Vattenfall today announced that it is participating in the tender for Hollandse Kust West, which was recently opened. The energy company is tendering for both lots VI and VII. For Lot VI, Vattenfall is doing this together with BASF, its current partner in the Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm currently under construction.
The Hollandse Kust West wind farm is located some 53 kilometres off the coast of the Netherlands. The total area is being offered in two separate tenders: Lot VI and Lot VII. Each of the lots will generate 700 MW of offshore wind energy capacity. The tenders for both locations close on 12 May 2022. The Dutch government’s decision on who will be awarded the tender is expected after the summer.
The first power generation from Hollandse Kust West is expected in 2026. According to Vattenfall, the project fits seamlessly into Vattenfall’s pipeline of wind farms in the North Sea and can therefore be smoothly integrated into the current procurement and implementation strategy. Moreover, the energy company sees important synergy effects with its nearby offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ).
Positive effect on biodiversity
In the tender for Lot VII, investments and innovations that benefit the Dutch energy system are the criterion for selection. For Lot VI, a winner will be selected that best mitigates the ecological impact of the wind farm.
Vattenfall cooperates with BASF for Lot VI. The two parties have been partners for a long time and have worked together in the electricity sector for more than 15 years. In the cooperation around the development of Hollandse Kust Zuid, a new level of knowledge exchange and synergy has been achieved between the two companies. Vattenfall aims for net zero in 2040 and uses Scienced Based Targets to help keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Vattenfall aims for a net positive effect on biodiversity by 2030.
Vattenfall has put together its own team of specialists and experts, the Environment & Sustainability Unit, which includes an in-house life sciences department with extensive research and development experience, as well as sustainability experts who actively work with the Vattenfall teams to lead the way in sustainability. The team is particularly active in the field of biodiversity and ecology and participates in international environmental studies to understand the impacts of offshore and onshore wind energy and how to mitigate them. For HKZ, the unit launched a joint study with the nature conservation organisation Rich North Sea (De Rijke Noordzee) to find out whether and how nature-inclusive turbine-foundation designs can benefit the local ecosystem.
“Our tender for HKW involves significant investment and ground-breaking innovations that promote natural biodiversity in the Dutch North Sea and a sustainable offshore wind sector,” said Dr Eva Philipp, head of the Environment & Sustainability Unit at Vattenfall.
Last month, Vattenfall was again awarded platinum Ecovadis sustainability status, which places it in the top 1% of 75,000 audited companies based on Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Sustainable Procurement and Ethics. In the analyses of leading assessment agencies for ESG indicators, BASF is often considered the benchmark within the chemical industry.
BASF wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 and aims for net zero from 2050 onwards. As part of its transformation to climate neutrality, the company is investing in renewable energy generation facilities.
