Egmond aan Zee

Profile: Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm (OWEZ)

Location

The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm is located in the Dutch part of the North Sea, approximately 10 to 18 kilometers off the coast of Egmond aan Zee, North Holland, Netherlands.

History and Development

• The project was initiated by the Dutch government in 2001 through a tender process, with NoordzeeWind, a joint venture between Shell WindEnergy and Nuon Duurzame Energie, selected as the winner.
• The concession agreement was signed in July 2001, and the final contracts were signed in May 2005. Construction began in June 2005 and was completed by the end of December 2006.
• The wind farm was officially inaugurated by Prince Willem-Alexander on April 18, 2007, and it began commercial operation in October 2007.

Ownership

• Initially, the wind farm was owned jointly by Shell WindEnergy and Nuon Duurzame Energie (each holding 50% of the shares).
• In March 2021, Shell acquired the remaining 50% from Vattenfall, taking full ownership of the wind farm.

Technical Specifications

• The wind farm consists of 36 Vestas V90-3.0 MW wind turbines, each with a nameplate capacity of 3 MW, totaling a capacity of 108 MW.
• The turbines are installed on fixed foundations using steel monopile foundations, with each turbine connected by a transition piece to the foundation. The turbines have a hub height of 70 meters above median sea level.
• The wind farm uses Tubular Steel towers and is designed to generate 400,000 MWh of electricity annually, sufficient to power around 100,000 households and offset approximately 140,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

Infrastructure and Operations

• The power generated is transmitted through three 34kV cables to shore, which land north of IJmuiden harbour. The voltage is then transformed from 34kV to 150kV at a substation near Wijk aan Zee before being transmitted into the national grid.
• Vestas Wind Systems AS is the turbine supplier and also serves as the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contractor for the project.

Environmental and Ecological Impact

• The wind farm is part of a demonstration project aimed at assessing both technological and environmental challenges. A Monitoring and Evaluation Program (NSW-MEP) was designed to gather data on the ecological, technical, economic, and social effects of the wind farm.
• Studies have been conducted to evaluate the impact on flying birds, including their flight paths, altitudes, and flux, as well as the effects on seabirds and non-marine migrating birds.
• Additional studies have focused on the impact on harbour porpoises, using static acoustic monitoring before and after the construction of the wind farm.

Contractors and Partners

• The project was developed by NoordzeeWind, with engineering, procurement, and construction services provided by VOF Bouwcombinatie Egmond (a consortium involving Ballast Nedam and others).
• Shell Energy Europe and Vattenfall are the power offtakers from the project.

Significance

• The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm was the first large-scale offshore wind farm built off the Dutch North Sea coast and serves as a demonstration project to gain knowledge and experience in the construction and operation of offshore wind farms.