Minister Cramer opens wind farm in Port of Amsterdam

n Sunday 15 June, Minister Jacqueline Cramer opened the Afrikahaven wind farm in the Port of Amsterdam. This wind-power facility has been developed by Evelop (part of the sustainable energy company Econcern) in cooperation with Buy Sustainable Energy and the Port of Amsterdam. The wind farm will produce about 60,000 megawatts of electricity – enough to serve 17,500 households. The new facility will supply power to all residents in the Geuzenveld/Slotermeer district in Amsterdam.

On this festive occasion, Minister Cramer said, "Reports about the pace and consequences of climate change are alarming. Moreover, a growing number of questions are being raised with respect to our energy security. It is for these reasons that we have set a target of generating at least 20% of our energy needs in the form of sustainable energy by 2020. At present, that percentage is only 2.5%. And in the future, onshore and offshore wind energy will have to account for more than of half of that 20%. We will be earmarking areas containing potential locations suitable for wind energy. Together with residents, municipalities and provincial authorities, we’re going to make a go of large-scale wind energy.”

“Wind turbines go well together with our landscape. The Afrikahaven wind farm shows that wind energy is becoming a normal part of our 21st-century landscape. In the Afrikahaven [Afrika Port], the wind turbines are in the middle of port activities and industrial operations. They are very much part of and fit in well with that large-scale economic picture. It’s an excellent example of how this can be pulled off.”

As part of its environmental policy, the City of Amsterdam has set a target of 45 megawatts of wind energy being generated in the Port of Amsterdam. In actual fact, the Afrikahaven wind farm and other wind-power facilities in the port now have a capacity of 65 megawatts and thereby exceed the City’s target by a wide margin. At present, green power is being supplied to 40,000 households.

On top of this, 20 smaller wind turbines in the Port of Amsterdam are expected to be replaced by a number of 3-megawatt wind turbines between 2010 and 2015. That will provide an extra 32 megawatts on top of the current level. The Port of Amsterdam hopes to produce a total of 100 megawatts in the longer run. That is sufficient electricity to supply over 60,000 households.

European Wind Day

 

European Wind Day – organized in the Netherlands by the Netherlands Wind Energy Association (NWEA) – falls on June 15. This year, European Wind Day was being celebrated in over 25 countries with hundreds of activities across the Continent. The Netherlands marked this day by inaugurating the Afrikahaven wind farm and launching www.verdermetwind.nl, which is a Dutch-language website setting out the advantages of wind energy.

On the Afrikahaven wind farm

The nine 3-megawatt wind turbines stand in Amsterdam's newest port section, Afrikahaven. The wind farm produces around 60,000 megawatts of electricity. This is enough to provide 17,500 households with sustainable energy and prevents the emission of 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. The wind farm lies at the extension of Schiphol Airport's Zwanenburgbaan and Polderbaan runways. For this reason, the height of two of the nine turbines was reduced from 80 to 75 meters.

More information?

For more information, please contact Ab van der Neut, Press Officer for the Port of Amsterdam, at +31 (0)20 5234875 or +31 (0)6 51171291or ab.van.der.neut@portofamsterdam.nl.