Two companies win permits to build Netherlands’ largest wind farms in North Sea

The Noordzeker consortium has won the permit to build IJmuiden Wind Farm Site Alpha, while Zeevonk, a joint venture between Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has won the permit for site Beta.

Combined, the two projects will produce 4GW of wind energy capacity, approximately 14% of current electricity consumption in the Netherlands.

In the IJmuiden Ver Beta wind farm, Zeevonk will build a 1GW electrolyser in the port of Rotterdam capable of converting electricity generated from the wind farm into green hydrogen. The wind farm will also house the largest offshore solar park in the Netherlands, with a capacity of 50 MWp.

Martijn Hagens, CEO Vattenfall Netherlands, said, “The Netherlands is taking yet another major step forward in the energy transition with IJmuiden Ver. Combining wind, solar and hydrogen, this project will create a state-of-the-art energy system and support further decarbonization of industries and our society. We are extremely proud to have been awarded this permit and look forward to implementing our plans for this energy park together with CIP.”

The IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone (IJVWFZ) is located 33.4 nautical miles (62 km) off the west coast of the Netherlands. The total area of the sites within the IJVWFZ (including the maintenance and safety zones) is approximately 650 sq km. 

Grid operator TenneT will install three platforms with three grid connections in the area. TenneT’s platforms all have a 2 GW direct current connection to a land station. These are the first offshore wind farms in the Netherlands to be connected with a direct current connection.

It is not yet clear when construction will start.

Map showing the location of the IJmuiden Ver wind farms (Image courtesy of Netherlands Enterprise Agency)