Vattenfall and BASF bid for Dutch offshore wind farm project

Swedish utility company Vattenfall AB and German chemicals company BASF will jointly bid for the 700-MW Site VI of the Hollandse Kust West (HKW) offshore wind farm zone off the Netherlands, the companies said on Friday.

“The offshore wind farms are of great significance for both companies in achieving their sustainability goals. The renewable electricity from Hollandse Kust West would be another important step towards Vattenfall’s ambition to create fossil-free living within one generation and would support BASF’s ambitious goal to reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050,” the company said in a statement.

The 1.4-GW HKW zone is located about 53 kilometres off the Netherlands coast and is being auctioned in two separate tenders, one for Site VI and one for Site VII, closing on May 12.

In order to win the Site VI tender, Vattenfall and BASF have to include ecological measures in their concept and expect the wind farm to generate first power in 2026. The two companies are already partners in the 1.5-GW Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) offshore wind project in the North Sea.

“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,” Helene Biström, head of BA Wind at Vattenfall, said in a statement.

Vattenfall aims to be net zero in 2040 and is striving towards Net Positive Impact on Biodiversity in 2030. BASF aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030 and has net-zero emissions as a target from 2050, the companies said.