Nuon to build first subsidy free offshore windfarm
Nuon will build the first wind farm in the world without subsidy. Nuon is part of the Swedish Vattenfall. The Hollandse Kust Zuid (site I and II) wind farm must be operational in 2022. It is located 22 kilometers from the coast.
Nuon receives through daughter Chinook, a permit of thirty years for the wind farm that will soon supply a million households with electricity. Other interested parties included the Norwegian Statoil and the German Innogy, parent company of Essent.
The Dutch wind farm will not be built completely without subdidy. Network operator Tennet installs the cable and builds the 'socket' for the wind farm at the expense of the government. The soil survey for Hollandse Kust Zuid has also been paid by the taxpayer.
Wind energy billions cheaper
In 2013, the government still assumed a subsidy of € 18 billion in 15 years. After the tenders for the Borssele 1 & 2 wind farm (Orsted) and Borssele 3 & 4 (Shell, Eneco and Van Oord) the former Minister of Economic Affairs estimated the costs at EUR 6 billion.
The fact that wind farms are becoming increasingly cheaper is due to, among other things, economies of scale. Within a few years windmills can be built that are 300 meters high, just as high as the Eiffel Tower, with blades of 200 meters wide.
Risks
Earlier this year there were also warnings from the offshore wind sector. The risk of a subsidy free tender may be that a wind farm will not be built. There are still a lot of innovations and investments needed, which costs money.
