Offshore staff
ESSEN, Germany — RWE is participating in the Dutch offshore wind tender for Hollandse Kust West (HKW). The company has submitted bids for both HKW site VI and HKW site VII to contribute to the Dutch government’s buildout target of 21 GW for offshore wind by about 2030, according to a recent RWE news release.
The two sites, located in the North Sea about 53 km off the Dutch coast, will each deliver more than 760 MW of offshore wind capacity.
"In addition, RWE’s proposed design for HKW site VI endeavors to have a positive net impact for the North Sea ecosystem, whereas RWE’s concept for HKW site VII is a blueprint for the perfect integration of offshore wind farms into the Dutch energy system," RWE stated in the release.
The extensive solutions on system integration and ecology measures, research and knowledge sharing will be implemented together with more than 40 partners.
HKW VI
RWE’s design concept for HKW VI will mitigate negative effects on flora and fauna—above and below sea level—while taking significant steps toward rewilding the North Sea.
"Innovations will be implemented to allow birds and bats to fly safely between the turbines and under the rotor swept area," the company stated.
RWE also plans to add artificial reefs and floating gardens as well as safeguard the ecosystem during construction by using special vibro piling techniques to minimize disturbance from monopile foundation installation.
Another element of RWE’s bid is to drive knowledge leadership in North Sea ecology by investing in an R&D program with universities and research institutes from the Netherlands.
RWE aims to set up a comprehensive multi-technology monitoring system at HKW VI (i.e., "a living lab") and will share knowledge widely and freely to enable all stakeholders in offshore wind to do as much for ecology as possible, according to the release.
HKW VII
"To address the challenges arising from matching fluctuating electricity production from renewables with flexible demand for energy, RWE has developed a blueprint for the integration of offshore wind farms into the Dutch energy system," the company said. "The company wants to take a big step in the system integration of offshore wind. To this end, RWE will focus on combining the HKW VII offshore wind warm with 600-MW onshore electrolyzers for green hydrogen production, supplying hydrogen and electricity to existing partners and new customers within the Dutch industry."
05.16.2022
