Ecowende’s Hollandse Kust West offshore windfarm produces first power

The windfarm is being developed 53 km off the Dutch coast by Ecowende, a joint venture of Shell, Chubu and Eneco. It will consist of 52 wind turbines, each of 15 MW, with a total installed capacity of 760 MW.

Offshore construction began in December 2025 with the installation of the first monopile. Full commercial power is expected by the end of 2026.

Once fully commissioned, the windfarm will generate 3.3 TWh of renewable electricity a year, enough to meet approximately 3% of The Netherlands’ total electricity demand.

Ecowende commissioning manager Ekansh Aggarwal said, “We are delighted to produce the first green electrons from the windfarm. We often talk about milestones along a project’s journey, and Ecowende has many firsts to date, but to see the turbines spinning and to have reached first power safely and successfully, is a great achievement for everyone involved in the project.”

The windfarm is connected to the Dutch onshore grid via TenneT’s offshore high-voltage infrastructure. “Connecting the Ecowende windfarm to our offshore grid is another milestone in the construction of the renewable energy infrastructure The Netherlands needs,” said TenneT head of operations Netherlands Robin van Buchem.

What sets the windfarm apart is not only its scale but its pioneering approach to ecological integration. At Ecowende’s initiative, Vestas is fitting seven turbines with a single, red-painted blade to test whether the colour contrast reduces bird collision risk during rotation. Other above-water measures include a dedicated bird corridor, wider turbine spacing, elevated nacelles, adaptive curtailment and AI-assisted radar monitoring for birds and bats.

Below the waterline, specially designed scour protection creates rock crevices and bays that shelter fish and other marine species, while fish holes in the monopile foundations are being trialled as additional fish habitat.

Day-to-day operations and maintenance of the windfarm will be carried out by Eneco Wind Offshore Operations and Vestas Services. Electricity trading is handled by Next Kraftwerke, together with SEEL and EET.

Next Kraftwerke began marketing Ecowende’s electricity on 4 July and acts as balancing service provider and congestion service provider for the windfarm, managing system integration and congestion across day-ahead, intraday and balancing energy markets on behalf of Ecowende.