BASF and Vattenfall to Take Part in the Offshore Wind Farm Tender Hollandse Kust West

The Site VI wind farm will accommodate 700 megawatts of offshore wind power capacity.

The energy company Vattenfall has recently announced that it will partner with BASF for the offshore wind farm tender for Hollandse Kust West (HKW) Site VI, that will allow both businesses to reach their sustainability goals. As a matter of fact, Vattenfall aims to create fossil-free living within one generation while BASF has set the goal of net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

The Hollandse Kust West wind farm zone is located around 53 kilometres off the west coast of the Netherlands and each site will accommodate 700 megawatts of offshore wind power capacity. The area is auctioned in two separate tenders (Site VI and Site VII, for which Vattenfall will also participate) that require bidding parties to include ecological measures in their concept, with Site VII requiring also investments and innovations which are beneficial for the Dutch Energy System.

“We are pleased to see the Dutch government’s decision to continue its successful approach to offshore wind roll-out and award sites in a tender based on qualitative criteria, this time focusing on ecology and system integration. This approach pushes developers to deliver their very best proposals, stimulates innovation and sees the Netherlands taking the lead in offshore wind development, which benefits the energy transition and society as a whole,” stated Helene Biström, the head of BA Wind at Vattenfall. “Vattenfall has a strong presence in the Dutch market and is committed to take a leading role in the green transformation of the Dutch economy. Hollandse Kust West is an important next step towards our ambition to create fossil-free living within one generation.”

Vattenfall and BASF are long-standing partners in the power sector and they are currently building the world’s first subsidy-free offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust Zuid in the Dutch North Sea. Vattenfall aims to be net zero in 2040 – using Science Based Targets to help keep global warming at a maximum of 1.5° C – while BASF aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the year 2030 (besides having set the net-zero emissions target by 2050).

“Offshore wind farms will play a decisive role for the use of innovative, low-emission technologies in our chemical production in Europe. That’s why we have already acquired a stake in Vattenfall’s Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm. With a joint bid for Hollandse Kust West Site VI, we are now taking this partnership one step further and BASF is participating at the earliest possible stage in a project that combines our need for additional amounts of renewable energy with ecological aspects in the marine area,” also commented Lars Kissau, the president BASF SE - Net Zero Accelerator and responsible for renewable energies, alternative raw materials and CO₂ reduction technologies.

The tenders for both sites will close on 12^th May 2022 and the winner is expected to be announced after summer. The first power generation should take place in 2026.