Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm

Dutch offshore wind farm in the North Sea

52°36′N 4°25′E / 52.6°N 4.42°E / 52.6; 4.42StatusOperationalConstruction began

2006

Commission date

18 April 2007

Owner(s)

Shell plc

Wind farm Type

Offshore

Distance from shore

10 km (6.2 mi)

Hub height

70 m (230 ft)

Rotor diameter

90 m (300 ft)

Rated wind speed

15 m/s (49 ft/s)

Site area

27 km² (10 sq mi)

Power generation Units operational36 × 3 MWMake and modelVestas V90/3000 (36)Nameplate capacity

108 MW

External linksCommonsRelated media on Commons

[edit on Wikidata]

Offshore Windpark Egmond aan Zee (OWEZ) is an offshore wind farm in the Dutch part of the North Sea, located approximately 10 km from the coast near Egmond aan Zee. It was the first large-scale offshore wind farm to be built off the Dutch North Sea coast. The wind farm was built by NoordzeeWind, a joint venture consisting of Shell and Nuon.

In March 2021, it was announced that Shell would take full ownership of the wind farm. It already owned 50% of the shares, and had acquired the other half from Vattenfall. The purchase price was not disclosed.^[1]

History

In 2001, the Dutch government launched a tender for the offshore wind farm. NoordzeeWind was selected as the winner in the spring of 2001. In July of the same year, the concession agreement was signed with the government for the realisation of the wind farm.

The final contracts were signed in 2005 and construction of the farm began in 2006. It was built by a consortium of Ballast Nedam and wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.^[2]

The wind farm was officially inaugurated by Prince Willem-Alexander on 18 April 2007.^[3]

Location and size

Wind farm layout

The wind farm is located 10 km (6.2 mi) to 18 km (11 mi) off the coasts of Egmond aan Zee and is visible from the shore. The total area of the farms is a around 27 square kilometres (10 sq mi). The farm consists of 36 Vestas V90-3MW wind turbines, each with a nameplate capacity of 3 MW. In total, the farm has a capacity of 108 MW. Together they are designed to provide energy for up to 100,000 Dutch households. The facility is being refurbished in 2021.^[4]

Gallery

Wind turbine components in an assembly area onshore before installation at sea
HLV Svanen at the Offshore Windfarm Egmond aan Zee
Another view from shore
View from above

References

^ Durakovic, Adnan (2021-03-30). "Shell Takes Full Ownership of First Dutch Offshore Wind Farm". Offshore Wind. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
^ Shell Begins Construction at Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm Oil Voice, 20 April 2006
^ "Shell NoordzeeWind". www.shell.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-04-03.
^ "Vestas helps Shell maintain oldest Dutch offshore wind farm". reNEWS - Renewable Energy News. 8 April 2021.