According to a report by Deloitte, the world wide brand gathering consultancy and advice specialists, there is a large area north of the Wadden Sea that is particularly suitable for the development of offshore wind energy. However, this zone is currently allocated to the Dutch Ministry of Defence for military exercises.
The area has strong winds, resulting in high energy yields. There is also room for large-scale project implementation with a short connection to the coast at Eemshaven, which can save both time and money.
With a number of large wind farms across this zone north of the Fresian Islands and the Wadden Sea amounting to 3,000 MW, the Dutch government could save more than €725 million in Renewable Energy Production Incentive (SDE) and subsidies. These projects would also generate a large number of new jobs in the Eems delta region.
The province of Groningen, Groningen Seaports, Energy Valley and the Nature and Environment Federation of Groningen have called on the Dutch government to ensure a thorough investigation is conducted into the area’s potential in the form of a social cost-benefit analysis (MKBA).
Offshore WIND Staff, April 28, 2014; Image: wikimedia