Hollandse Kust Zuid Wind Farm (HKZ), North Sea, Netherlands

End User: Vattenfall

The 1.5GW Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) will become the world’s largest offshore wind project upon its commissioning in 2023. The electricity generated by the farm will be sufficient to power up to three million households in the Netherlands. The project is in line with the Dutch Government’s target to produce 3.5GW of new offshore wind energy by the end of 2023.

The construction of the wind farm began in July 2021, with the first vessel transporting the monopile foundations to be installed at the construction site. Each foundation, weighing between 735t (62m) and 955t (75m), will be installed at water depths between 17m and 28m.

The HKZWFZ is situated to the west of the Netherlands, off the coast of the Zuid-Holland (South Holland) and Noord-Holland (North Holland) provinces, in water depths between 18m and 27m.

It contains the operational Luchterduinen Wind Farm in its northeastern side and is enclosed by the coastline and main shipping routes of IJmuiden and Rotterdam. The northern side of the HKZWFZ is bordered by a sand extraction area, while anchorage areas are situated towards the northern and southern parts of the zone.

Conditions that favour the site include suitable seabed and water depth, ideal weather conditions and proximity to the port of Ijmuiden, which is the maintenance hub for the HKZ wind farm.