It could produce enough power for 12.5 million households by 2040
A huge wind farm will be built off the north coast of Groningen, which could be the largest wind farm in the world, reports RTV Noord.
The wind turbines will be installed by Shell, Gasunie and Groningen Seaports. The electricity that this park will supply is to be converted into hydrogen by a mega-hydrogen plant in the Eemshaven.
The wind farm will deliver 3 to 4 gigawatts of power in 2030, by 2040 that will have grown to 10 gigawatts. That is enough power for 12.5 million households, but the power is primarily intended for industry. Having a large-scale Hydrogen-producing operation in the North could also be a huge advantage for transition to sustainable transport.
There is no wind farm of this size anywhere else in the world. By way of comparison- on the entire Dutch North Sea, less than 1 gigawatt of wind power is currently produced. It is still unknown how many windmills will follow, but it is likely to be in the thousands. “They are certainly not visible from the [Wadden] islands,” says Cas König, director of Groningen Seaports.
The total project will provide thousands of jobs, particularly in the construction phase. “But when that factory is there, it will attract other companies,” says König. “It will give a huge boost.” Today’s announcement has come via a letter of intent: the final decision for NortH2, as the project is called, has not yet been taken. This depends, among other things, on government support for the mega project.
Image via WikiCommons user Spy Valley. License here.
