Sian Crampsie
Vattenfall is to build a second subsidy-free offshore wind farm in the Netherlands after winning the tender for construction of the Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) 3&4 project.
The developer overcame competition from Orsted, Engie and a consortium of Van Oord, Eneco and Shell in the competitive auction to win the right to build the 2 x 350 MW project in the Dutch North Sea.
Its successful bid is the result of “continuous efforts” along the “entire value chain” of the company, as well as its portfolio approach, Vattenfall CEO Magnus Hall said. “Working collaboratively with our partners in the supply chain has enabled us to hand in a state-of-the-art proposal for this project,” said Hall.
Offshore construction of HKZ3&4 will start in 2022, with Vattenfall installing 76 Siemens Gamesa 10 MW turbines spaced around 1 km apart.
The company says it will optimize construction with the nearby HKZ 1&2 offshore wind farm project that it is also developing without subsidy.
“We can bundle now the projects Hollandse Kust Zuid 1&2 and 3&4 which is a great advantage leading to further optimization and synergies”, said Gunnar Groebler, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Area Wind of Vattenfall.
HKZ 3&4 is due online by 2024. It forms part of plans by the Netherlands to reach a target of 11.5 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
“The Dutch are doing well on offshore wind,” commented WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson. “They’ve a good steady auction plan of 700 MW every year. They provide clear visibility of what they’re auctioning and when which helps reduce costs. They’re taking a strategic approach to grid investments – and a healthy long-term view of marine spatial planning aiming at happy co-existence between offshore wind and e.g. fishing and biodiversity.”
