Rotterdam, September 2, 2009

DUTCH INDUSTRY AND KNOWLEDGE INSTITUTIONS TAKE LEADING ROLE IN OFFSHORE WIND FARM INNOVATION RWE Offshore Wind, Eneco, TenneT, Ballast Nedam, Van Oord, IHC Merwede, 2-B Energy, XEMC Darwind, ECN and TU Delft are pioneering a large scale innovation programme for the development of wind energy far out at sea. (Far and Large Offshore Wind: FLOW). The plan was presented today to Minister of Economic Affairs Van der Hoeven.

The FLOW plan links up with the appeal that the Innovation Platform (IP) made during the coast conference in spring 2008. By means of the tulip island the IP challenged the sector to come up with innovative business cases for offshore energy concepts. Innovation Platform member Hans de Boer: "The R&D programme and the demonstration farm that are currently originating from this consortium jointly constitute an excellent example of an innovative project in the Netherlands, with which we can make energy objectives more feasible, contribute towards the further expansion of a more sustainable economy and showcase our strengths to the international community. It is an initiative of market parties that merits the government’s serious attention. Companies in the Netherlands can acquire a sizeable market share in this new fast-growing European market for offshore wind energy. The Netherlands can decide to merely tag along with the offshore energy developments in Europe in the coming years and get knowledge and experience from abroad. But if we take the lead now, that will galvanise the development of a strong knowledge-intensive value chain in the Netherlands." The plan comprises an R&D programme and a demonstration wind farm with 20 to 60 turbines 75 kilometer off the Dutchcoast.. From land the wind farm is not visible. There are currently no wind farms operating at this depth (30 till 35 meter) and distance from the coast anywhere in the world. The FLOW programme enables companies in the Netherlands to take a leading position in the European market for offshore wind farms. This initiative will serve to accelerate the Dutch government’s ambition to install wind farms with a capacity of 6,000 MW by 2020. Energy companies, turbine producers, offshore contractors, developers of wind farms, knowledge institutions and the national electricity carrier have joined forces to develop an innovative R&D programme of a considerable magnitude. Dirk Jan van den Berg, President of the TU Delft Executive Board: “Through this unique partnership between public and private parties, the requisite knowledge will be developed to accelerate the installation of wind farms far out at sea. For the government, this is a unique opportunity to develop the Dutch value chain and create sustainable employment.” The FLOW consortium is engaged in a constructive dialogue with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to further specify the FLOW Business Plan, and to explore options for Government support to and cooperation in this program.

Demonstration wind farm with a capacity of 100 to 300 MW

The Dutch government is looking to realise 6,000 MW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2020, representing 38% of the total renewable electricity harvested in the Netherlands in 2020. The FLOW demonstration wind farm is expected to be built in an area far off the coast where there is sufficient room to install a large proportion of the turbines for the generation of the envisaged 6,000 MW. This large-scale demonstration farm is expected to meet the annual electricity needs of 100,000 to 300,000 households, leading to a reduction of 180,000 to 550,000 tons of CO2 per year.

R&D programme Around the world there is still little knowledge and experience with wind farms located far off the coast. The FLOW consortium will jointly carry out research, develop new innovative foundation concepts as well as new operational and maintenance strategies, and study wind conditions. More efficient turbines are being designed, these are specifically intended for use at locations in the North Sea. In addition, new installation technologies for wind farms at these depths and distances from the coast will be developed. The partners are conducting research into the best technology for the connection with the electricity grid. New concepts will be validated, from design to utilisation, in the FLOW demonstration wind farm. The lessons learned will be commercialised in future large-scale investments in offshore wind farms and will accelerate these investments. “FLOW will make a major contribution to increasing the reliability of large-scale wind farms while reducing the costs and risks. Thanks to FLOW the Netherlands can take a leading position in the market for offshore wind energy,” says Huib Morelisse, CEO RWE Netherlands.

Note for the editors

For more information on this press release, contact:

RWE Energy Nederland
Corporate Affairs
Dig Istha
+31 6 51 10 18 22
Innovation Platform: Maria Henneman, 06 51 38 11 88

RWE The international energy company RWE is one of Europe’s largest producers and suppliers of electricity. RWE already has a strong presence in the market for offshore wind energy in the United Kingdom. The company already has the 60-MW North Hoyle wind farm off the Welsh coast and will this year commission a second wind farm with 90 MW of installed capacity at Rhyl Flats. A further offshore wind farm, which is also planned off the coast of North Wales at Gwynt y Môr, will become one of the largest farms of its kind in the world, with a planned capacity of several hundreds MW. Moreover, RWE Innogy holds a 50% stake in the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm off the east coast of England. On completion in 2011 this wind farm will have a total capacity of 500 MW. RWE Innogy is also looking to expand its offshore production of wind energy to areas off the coast of mainland Europe. In Germany, for instance, the company is planning to build the Innogy Nordsee 1 wind farm with a capacity of about 960 MW off the German island Juist in the North Sea. In the Netherlands a licence has been requested for the Tromp wind farm with a capacity of 300 MW off the northern Dutch coast.

Eneco is one of the three leading energy companies in the Netherlands. Wind energy forms an important element of Eneco’s sustainability strategy. Eneco expects that in 2020, already 70% of the electricity supplied to its customers will be generated from sustainable resources. In the Netherlands, Eneco owns 100 land-based wind turbines with a total capacity of 120 MegaWatt and can supply an additional 120 MW with the Princess Amalia Wind Farm at the North Sea. With its own wind turbines, Eneco already supplies more than 170,000 households with electricity generated from wind. In addition, Eneco has concluded Power Purchase Agreements to the amount of approximately 700 MW with which it can supply nearly 500,000 households with electricity. The landbased Anna Vosdijkpolder Wind Farm (15 MW) became operational in 2008, followed in 2009 by the St. Antoinedijk Wind Farm (10 MW) in the city of Halderberge. In Belgium, Eneco has a wind energy capacity of 80 MW. Eneco is also active in France and Great Britain. It is expected that the British Tullo Wind Farm Ltd. will become operational in 2010.

TenneT The Transmission System Operator TenneT is the Dutch electricity carrier. TenneT safeguards the reliability and continuity of the electricity supply in the Netherlands. It also develops services and tasks that further advance the electricity market and enable it to function properly. An example of this is the development of a sustainable energy system.

Ballast Nedam is a Dutch multinational active in the building, construction and infrastructure sectors and is aiming to become one of the most prominent players in the European offshore wind energy market. The company has a special offshore wind energy division with extensive experience in the design, installation, construction and development of offshore wind farms. Ballast Nedam installed the first Dutch wind farm named Lely in 1994, followed by Dronten in 1996, and OWEZ in 2006. Last year Ballast Nedam installed the foundations for two offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom. Ballast Nedam is currently involved in the German offshore wind energy project Baltic I. Ballast Nedam is also engaged in the Dutch R&D project We@Sea and recently developed a new concept for an environmentally-friendly concrete monopile foundation as part of the Swedish Kriegers Flak R&D project.

Van Oord is a world wide operating Dutch dredging and marine contractor. The company is a world leader in dredging , marine construction projects and offshore activities, and an important player in the design and construction of offshore wind farms. Van Oord’s activities as a EPC contractor comprise the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of foundations and electrical installations of wind farms. In the Netherlands Van Oord was as EPC contractor responsible for the design, procurement and construction of the 130 Mw Prinses Amalia wind farm off the coast of IJmuiden. Since august 2009 Van Oord started as EPC contractor with the construction of 165 Mw Belwind Project Phase 1 off the coast of Zeebrugge, Belgium.

IHC Merwede is focused on the continuous development of its design and construction activities for the specialised shipbuilding sector, in particular the dredging and offshore industries. IHC Merwede is world market leader in the construction of specialist dredging equipment. IHC Merwede is also recognised as an outstanding builder of complex, custom-built vessels for offshore construction. Offshore wind energy is one of IHC Merwede’s focal points. The company has grouped together all its expertise in the area of offshore wind energy in a specialized centre of excellence ‘IHC Offshore Wind Energy’. The clients of IHC Merwede include major dredging companies, oil and gas exploration groups, offshore contractors and government authorities. IHC Merwede has a staff of approximately 2,800 at its locations in the Netherlands. There are also branches in China, India, the Middle East, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

2-B Energy introduces a new offshore wind turbine into the market characterised by significantly lower capital costs and operating expenses. A holistic approach – based on reducing the number of components, saving material and extending the useful life – has lead to an innovative offshore wind power plant concept, consisting of a 6MW, 2 rotor blade turbine, a construction for placing it on the sea bed and continuous current technology for transporting the electricity to the mainland. The prototype will be put into use in 2011.

XEMC Darwind BV, formerly known as Darwind, is a design, development and future production agency specialising in ‘direct drive’ technology for offshore wind turbines that lead to lower operating and maintenance costs. XEMC Darwind is currently working on the third generation of Direct Drive wind turbines. The prototype of this 5MW turbine will be taken into operation in 2010 at the ECN test site in the Wieringermeer polder. Unique characteristics of this Dutch turbine are: (1) Custom-developed for offshore applications (2) Low installation and maintenance costs (3) High availability and high revenues at competitive purchase costs. The company is striving to become a major global supplier of offshore wind turbines. This statement is underlined by the recent partnership with the Chinese company XEMC Windpower. The new Sino-Dutch company plans to start producing commercially from 2011. Together with its partners and suppliers, XEMC Darwind will create hundreds of jobs, mainly for development, assembly, logistics, installation and operational maintenance in the Netherlands.

ECN is the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands. It is the largest Dutch R&D institute in the field of renewable energy. ECN develops high-grade knowledge and technology for a sustainable energy system and brings this to market. The special wind energy unit occupies a strategic position between universities and industry, covers all relevant wind energy disciplines and is one of Europe’s leading offshore wind energy institutes.

TU Delft Delft University of Technology is a multilateral and multidisciplinary university of technology, where 15,000 students and 5,000 employees work on technical solutions and innovations for social problems and the development of knowledge. Renewable energy, such as wind power, is one of the main subjects of scientific research at Delft. The research into wind energy in Delft is carried out at the Delft University Wind Energy Research Institute, DUWIND.