The port of Rotterdam reported that the coming decades will present a development in the number of wind farms in the North Sea, providing opportunities to the port and the companies on this segment.
Specifically, wind farm maintenance and construction are new to the area of nautical activities; Yet, the port has already developed this activities, by setting up the Offshore Community Rotterdam together with RPPC, which now has 80 members.
Hans Timmers, chairman of the NWEA, the branch organisation for the wind energy sector, stated that the wind turbines on the North Sea can provide 1GW, meaning that in 2050 60GW are an achievable goal, keeping in mind that EU’s target is 450 GW.
The European goals mean that the Netherlands should produce 14% of energy sustainably in 2020. In light of this, Timmers commented that
We will not achieve that…And that makes the Ministry of Economic Affairs very nervous, because it will result in a substantial penalty for the Netherlands at the end of the year.
Moreover, to achieve the above goals, about 20% of the Dutch section of the North Sea will be used for wind farms, showing that the Dutch ports and nautical companies will play an important role in the construction and maintenance of the parks.
Also, Timmers believes that Dutch companies are over-optimistic too soon for the project, that is why the NWEA focuses on exercising influence when preparing tenders.
In general, other European countries are taking part in major constructions happening at sea, something that will increase to a capacity of 450 Gigawatt in 2050, to be generated using offshore wind farms.
Timmers adds that a danger would be the possibility of variation in the price of electricity, adding that
The wind energy sector benefits from a stable electricity price. We are, after all, talking about an investment of around 1.5 million Euros per turbine.
During the construction of the first wind farms, the former Minister Kamp (Economic Affairs) spoke of the need to install a ‘power outlet at sea’. Following this, in the future, RPPC and the Port of Rotterdam Authority will make a strong commitment to promoting the business opportunities of offshore wind among the members and, together with partners, to share market knowledge with the Offshore Community Rotterdam.
