German renewable energy company RWE said Monday it was taking part in the Dutch offshore wind tender for Hollandse Kust West (HKW).
The news comes after the likes of BP, TotalEnergies, Orsted, Shell, and Eneco, announced their participation in the offshore wind tender, too.
RWE said Monday it had filed bids for both HKW site VI and HKW site VII to contribute to the Dutch government’s ambitious build-out target of 21 gigawatts (GW) for offshore wind by around 2030.
The areas are located in the North Sea, about 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast. Both sites will each deliver more than 760 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity.
'Rewilding' the North Sea
"In addition, RWE’s proposed design for HKW site VI endeavors to have a positive net impact for the North Sea ecosystem, whereas RWE’s concept for HKW site VII is a blueprint for the perfect integration of offshore wind farms into the Dutch energy system, including 600 MW electrolyzer capacity onshore with access to storage capacity in the planned onshore hydrogen backbone," RWE said.
RWE said its design concept for HKW VI would mitigate negative effects on flora and fauna – above and below sea level "whilst taking significant steps towards rewilding the North Sea."
The company said that innovations would be implemented to allow birds and bats to fly safely between the turbines and under the rotor swept area. Furthermore, RWE intends to "rewild" the area by adding artificial reefs and floating gardens.
"This will enhance the habitat, strengthen the food chain, and thereby benefit all species, such as birds, fish, and sea mammals. Safeguarding the ecosystem is also a key issue during construction: to minimize disturbance from monopile foundation installation, RWE will make use of special vibro piling techniques," RWE said.
Green hydrogen
RWE also said it has developed a blueprint for the integration of offshore wind farms into the Dutch energy system, and said it would focus on combining the HKW VII offshore wind warm with 600 MW onshore electrolyzers for green hydrogen production, supplying hydrogen and electricity to existing partners and new customers within Dutch industry.
"Furthermore, the company intends to integrate e-boilers for heating, battery storage and charging solutions for electric vehicles. Large parts of the investments are planned in the Groningen and Brabant areas in close collaboration with partners in those regions," the company said.
According to information on the Dutch government's website, the two wind farms are expected to be commissioned in five to six years.
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