New Energy port for a sustainable future

A partnership covenant for the new facility was signed today by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Province of North Holland, the Municipality of Velsen, Tata Steel, IJmuiden Seaport and Port of Amsterdam.

The development of this new port is crucial for realising wind farms in the North Sea. Many more wind farms will be constructed in the coming years in the North Sea, and the Energy Port forms an essential operational base for their construction and operational maintenance. The new Energy Port will, for example, provide support for building the wind farms Hollandse Kust West and IJmuiden Ver off the Dutch coast. The Energy Port also has an important role in realising the more intensive use of space and reinforcement of the regional port infrastructure, as planned.

Location

The Energy Port is located on the sea side of the North Sea Canal, right before the IJmuiden lock complex. The new industrial estate offers great possibilities for meeting the needs of the energy transition, and advancing important regional and national climate change goals.

By making an industrial estate of five hectares available, Tata Steel has shown its support for this future-looking initiative that's so important for the region. What's more, Tata Steel is allowing land access to the Energy Port through its site in Velsen North. This will enable the movement of personnel and access for emergency services.

Ambitions

Minster of Infrastructure and Water Management, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen: 'The large-scale construction and operational maintenance of sustainable wind turbine farms in the North Sea demand a much greater port capacity. Our collaborative development of the Averijhaven into a modern energy port means that offshore businesses will have all the space they need in the future.'

Energy Port as offshore port

The Energy Port will have an area of over 15 hectares. Both the existing acreage of the Averijhaven as well as the adjacent Tata Steel site of 5 hectares will be used to create a public port area for offshore wind. In the port area a quay will be installed of 580 metres – 200 metres as heavy duty facility with 12.5 metre water depth, and 380 metres standard facility with 10 metre water depth. The location of this port means that it will play an important role in the efficient installation and operational maintenance of wind farms, and save on costs.

Next steps

Right now, the Energy Port is a Dutch government-owned dredge sludge depot. In order to transform this depot into a port area, the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management will have to clear it out first. In tandem with this necessary work, a study of the effects of constructing the Energy Port on the environment will be carried out by means of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). A fundamental requirement is that the facility must fit within existing environmental guidelines.

Commercial operation of the Energy Port

Commercial operation of the Energy Port will be run by Port of Amsterdam and IJmuiden Seaport on behalf of the other covenant partners. This commercial operation is in line with the strategic goals envisioned by both port authorities in terms of playing an active role in the national energy transition.