Renewable Energy Production

36 turbines were placed in the space of 13 months for the wind farm (108 MW) off the coast of Egmond aan Zee.

Dutch Wind Farms
Offshore Wind Farm at Egmond aan Zee
Foreign Wind Farms
Solar energy
Hydropower

In line with our strategy a number of small wind farms and wind farms abroad were sold in 2006.

Dutch Wind Farms 

In 2006 our wind turbines produced in conformity with expectations. November 2006 was an exceptionally windy month, allowing our Dutch wind farms to achieve a record production: 45% more than expected.

Since 2005 Nuon has focused for economic reasons on large-scale production, also for renewable energy. The administrative and maintenance costs of small wind farms are disproportionately high. For this reason a number of small farms and installations were sold in 2006:

  • Wind Farm Zutphen (September, 6MW)
  • Wind Farm Culemborg (September, 6 MW)
  • Biogas installation Eerbeek (November)

In February one turbine of the Eemmeerdijk wind farm was taken out of service. The wind farm’s operational capacity is now 18 MW.

Nuon has slowed down the development of new wind farms because of the changes in the government’s subsidy policy. The target dates for the realisation of the wind farms at Wieringermeerdijk (100 MW, 2009) and Reyndersweg (15 MW, 2008) remain unchanged. No date has been set so far for the Moerdijk wind farm (16-24 MW).

Offshore Wind Farm at Egmond aan Zee

In April the first foundations were laid for the Offshore Wind Farm at Egmond aan Zee (108 MW). The wind farm is being realised by NoordzeeWind, a Joint Venture of Shell and Nuon. After years of preparation, the activities progressed speedily in 2006. Following the placement of the first turbine in June and the completion of the wind farm’s connection to the grid, the last of the 36 turbines was installed in late August. Early in October the wind farm delivered power for the first time. The wind farm will be officially opened in 2007.

Foreign Wind Farms

In July the portfolio of German wind farms was sold (98 MW). Germany is one of Nuon’s three core countries. In 2005 Nuon decided to discontinue its involvement in the production of wind energy in Germany. In our core countries we are seeking to establish a link between the production of renewable energy and our core activities – the supply of gas and power to customers. In Germany the subsidy system is set up in such a way that the German government becomes the direct owner of the generated renewable electricity and the green value that it subsidises. This means that companies cannot add a green energy component to their fuel mix by delivering in-house production to customers.

In the UK Nuon has two wind farms, including one with Shell, E.ON and AMEC (Blyth wind farm). The latter has two offshore turbines. In 2006 these were affected by problems with the cable connections to the coast. The Havøygavlen wind farm in Norway (a joint venture with Hydro) gave a much better performance than in 2005. Despite the severe climatological conditions and the performance of technical work, the wind farm achieved an availability of 89%.

Solar energy

In May Nuon became the owner of Helianthos, an innovation initiative of Akzo Nobel and Shell for the production of solar cell foil. Solar cell foil is ultra-thin and flexible material that transforms light into electricity. Thanks to its light weight, the foil can be applied on roofs without requiring a heavier construction. We expect solar foil to be a more cost-effective source of electricity than ‘traditional’ solar panels.

In taking over Helianthos we aim to achieve a breakthrough in the decentralised generation of renewable energy. In the coming three years the Helianthos team will seek further technological efficiencies whilst also making preparations for large-scale production.

Hydropower

Alongside the larger power stations at Maurik (10 MW) and Alphen (14 MW), Nuon operates two small power stations: Nederstroom (250kW) and Hagestein (1.5 MW, together with Ministry of Waterways and Public Works). In 2006 the wind farms produced in line with expectations. The Port Mort and Poses power stations that Nuon owns along the French river Seine (joint capacity 14 MW) produced 45% more energy than budgeted due to the high availability and favourable water supply.