The Netherlands – SSE Renewables plans to invest millions of dollars in Den Helder and the surrounding area in the coming years. The offshore wind farm builder and developer wants Den Helder to be the hub from which it will conduct business in the Netherlands.
SSE Renewables plans to invest in an innovative hydrogen project as well as collaboration projects with local educational institutions in addition to establishing an operational center in the Port of Den Helder for the construction and maintenance of wind farms.
SSE Renewables is the leading provider of offshore wind energy. SSE Renewables is currently building the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the British North Sea. In addition, the company is currently bidding on the Hollandse Kust (west) wind farms. SSE Renewables is collaborating with Microsoft and Avanade, among others, on the world’s largest digital research project into the impact of wind farms on the surrounding ecosystem off the Dutch coast as part of that tender.
Hydrogen in Den Helder
If SSE Renewables is awarded the contract, the company will be based in Den Helder. SSE Renewables has leased a business space in the former fish auction building. The company wants hydrogen-powered ships to maintain the wind farm. SSE Renewables wants to produce green hydrogen in the port of Den Helder in order to ensure a steady supply of green hydrogen. The company wants to use the hydrogen that is still available in Den Helder for local projects. In this way, a local hydrogen hub with a lot of room for expansion can be established.
Developing education
The number of offshore wind farms will be significantly increased in the coming decades, thanks to the Dutch government’s increased ambitions. Recruiting suitable personnel to keep up with this growth will be a challenge for the sector. SSE Renewables also wants to start working actively with educational institutions in the Den Helder region from next year, partly because of this. The company hopes to contribute to the development of practice-oriented educational materials, offer internships, and eventually provide students with a good job in this field.
