Shell and Mitsubishi's subsidiary Eneco have won the bid to build an offshore wind farm at Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI, located in the North Seaoffshore the Netherlands.
Shell said Thursday that the project would have an installed capacity of approximately 760 MW. It will be located some 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast from the town of IJmuiden.
The new wind farm, due to start operations in 2026, will be delivered through a joint venture called Ecowende.
Shell and Eneco have already taken final investment decision for the wind farm.
Wael Sawan, Director of Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions who is soon to become the CEO at Shell, said: "With Ecowende, we will take a huge step in growing our offshore wind portfolio while making a positive contribution to biodiversity. Through this project, we can profitably accelerate the large-scale roll-out of offshore wind in the Netherlands and beyond. This fits well with Shell's Powering Progress strategy to deliver more and cleaner energy to our customers, at home, on the road and at work."
Shell said that Ecowende aimed to set "a new ecological benchmark" for the development and construction of wind farms in the North Sea and to enable offshore wind farms to have a net positive impact on nature in the future.
"The design of the wind farm takes account of the natural environment through measures such as: placing wind turbines a greater distance apart to create a corridor for birds to fly through; using innovative foundation techniques that keep the impact on marine mammals and marine life to a minimum; and placing natural reef structures on the seabed to boost biodiversity. More details on the investments, innovations and research programs will be announced at a later stage," Shell said.
