RWE submits bids in 1.5-GW Dutch offshore wind tender HKW

RWE AG (ETR:RWE) has submitted bids for both wind farm sites of the 1.5-GW Hollandse Kust West (HKW) zone in the North Sea off the Dutch coast.

RWE's proposal for HKW VI is designed to mitigate the negative impact on the flora and fauna and contribute to rewilding the North Sea by adding artificial reefs and floating gardens. The company plans to build the farm in a way that will allow birds and bats to fly safely between the turbines and under the rotor swept area.

Additionally, the monopole foundations will be installed through the vibro piling technology which is believed to reduce underwater noise emissions and shorten installation times.

Under RWE's plan, the HKW VII offshore wind park will be connected to 600 MW of onshore electrolysers for hydrogen production to achieve better integration of offshore wind and ensure a flexible electricity supply. The produced hydrogen will be supplied to existing and new industrial customers in the Netherlands. In addition, e-boilers for heating, battery storage and charging solutions for electric vehicles will also be integrated.

Each site can accommodate over 760 MW of offshore wind capacity, RWE noted.

The German power major, which already has 3 GW of offshore wind under operation, is competing with BP Plc (LON:BP) and a consortium of Denmark’s Ørsted A/S (CPH:ORSTED) and France's TotalEnergies SE (EPA:TTE) which have made joint bids in the tender.

In April, SSE Renewables and a unit of Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management Inc (TSE: BAM.A) teamed up to jointly participate in the Dutch auctions.

Swedish utility Vattenfall AB and German chemicals company BASF SE (ETR:BAS) also announced they were submitting a joint bid for the 700-MW Site VI of the HKW zone.

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