Wind Power News: Netherlands
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Attempt to improve sea life diversity at wind farms fails
An attempt to improve wildlife diversity at a wind farm in the North Sea has failed as 85% of oysters introduced there have died, reports the Volkskrant. Eight months after two environmental groups introduced the creatures to try to improve the quality of underwater life at the Luchterduinen wind farm, most of the 600 oysters have perished. The animals are thought to improve water quality and attract other wildlife, and the pilot study did however find that the 15% of . . . Complete story »
Windmill protesters placed on Dutch terror list
Dutch counter-terror officials on Monday highlighted “extremist” wind turbine protesters alongside Islamists and the far right in the country’s latest terrorism threat report. At least two companies building new wind turbines in the Netherlands have cancelled construction projects “out of fear of attacks and have lost millions” of euros in damage, the NCTV counter-terrorism agency said. “Extremist protest actions by a small group of anonymous activists against the erection of wind turbines in the Drenthe and Groningen provinces have continued . . . Complete story »
Windmill protesters put on Dutch terror list with Islamists
Dutch counter-terror officials have highlighted ‘extremist’ wind turbine protesters alongside Islamists and the far right in the country’s latest terrorism threat report. At least two companies building new wind turbines in the Netherlands have cancelled construction projects ‘out of fear of attacks and have lost millions’ of euros in damage, the NCTV counter-terrorism agency said. The NCTV’s latest report read: ‘Extremist protest actions by a small group of anonymous activists against the erection of wind turbines in the Drenthe and . . . Complete story »
Entrepreneur withdraws from Drenthe wind farm project over threats
Entrepreneur Ben Timmermans of company Avitec infra & milieu is withdrawing from Drenthe wind farm project De Monden due to a threatening letter he received. Groningen Provincial Deputy Fleur Gräper-van Koolwijk (D66) also received a threatening letter regarding a wind farm project in the province. The police are investigating, Dagblad van het Noorden reports. Timmermans received the threatening letter by post at his company in Nieuw-Buinen last week Wednesday. According to DVHN, it read: “What you have built up in . . . Complete story »
Provinces set to miss wind power targets as opposition to energy plans heats up
Most Dutch provinces are set to miss their target for wind energy by the end of next year as a result of legal delays and resistance by political parties. The transition to renewable energy is one of the issues dominating the campaign for next week’s provincial assembles, as planning and power generation falls within their remit. All 12 provinces signed an agreement in 2013 to build enough wind turbines to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020. The Volkskrant reported . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind farms will still need taxpayer subsidies in 2022: audit office
It is not yet possible to build wind farms at sea without government subsidies, the national audit office said on Thursday. The audit office was looking at claims by economic affairs minister Eric Wiebes, who said earlier this year he expected the first offshore Dutch wind farm without government money would come on stream in 2022. The audit office said energy generation at sea is becoming cheaper, and will have gone down 40% in price by 2023, compared with 2013. . . . Complete story »
Some wind farm protesters are radicalised, says counter terrorism unit
The campaign against wind farms in some parts of the Netherlands has become so extreme that protestors could be described as ‘radicalised’ according to the latest analysis of the security situation in the Netherlands by counter terrorism unit NCTV. The protests may not have a ‘classic ideology’ behind them, but given the political aims, they can be described as extremism, the NCTV said. ‘At a local level, citizens take part in democratic protests against wind farms, but in Drenthe and . . . Complete story »
Wind resistance down: Ijsselmeer wind farm project gets green light
Windpark Fryslân, a large wind farm project in the IJsselmeer, has overcome local resistance and can start construction next year, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Thursday. The Council of State, the government’s highest advisory body, ruled on Wednesday that objections that it would harm recreation and employment in the area were unfounded, the FD said. The project in the Frisian sector of the man-made lake, to be completed in 2021, includes 89 wind turbines with total capacity of 320 megawatts, . . . Complete story »
Dutch fishermen to sail fleet into Amsterdam in wind turbine protest
The Netherlands may be the land of the windmill, but fishermen are planning a major protest on Saturday against the Dutch government’s latest wind turbine construction in the North Sea, with an armada of fishing boats sailing into Amsterdam. After alighting from at least 15 boats at the back of Amsterdam’s central station, it is understood that hundreds of fishermen will march to the capital’s Damrak canal, where they will upend bags of small fish deemed too small for sale . . . Complete story »
Swastika spray-painted onto Dutch windmill
A large swastika and a German flag were found spray painted on a windmill next to the A6 highway, between Emmeloord and Lelystad, on Sunday morning. The authorities believe the vandalism happened very recently, though who the perpetrators are is unclear, De Stentor reports. A police spokesperson told the newspaper that they are investigating the case and have informed the owner of the windmill, energy company Innogy. “We certainly take this seriously.” Innogy will press vandalism charges and hopes to . . . Complete story »
