EUR 19.5 Million for FLOW Innovation Project
Economic Affairs Minister Van der Hoeven has granted funding of €19.5 million for the Far and Large Offshore Wind (FLOW) innovation project. The subsidy matches the same level of funding previously announced by the companies in the FLOW consortium. The budget will be spent on the first phase of the FLOW project. This will involve research into and development of efficient wind turbines in the North Sea and innovative foundation concepts, as well as research into maintenance strategies and installation techniques for wind farms at greater depths and distances from the coast. The connection of these wind farms to the electricity grid is also part of the programme. “The Minister is now acting on earlier promises and supporting the innovative powers of the Dutch business community in this area,” says Peter Terium, CEO of Essent and Chairman of the FLOW consortium. “In doing so, she is offering us the opportunity to further develop the role played by Dutch industry in the expanding international market for the generation of wind energy at sea.”
“The unique public/private partnership in FLOW offers The Netherlands the chance to take the lead in the market for offshore wind energy,” says Dirk Jan van den Berg, Chairman of the Executive Board at Delft University of Technology. “This move by the Government will have a significant impact, both in terms of sustainable energy supplies and the Dutch economy.”
By awarding the subsidy, the Minister is implementing the recommendations made earlier this month by the Taskforce ‘Wind Energie op Zee’ (Wind Energy at Sea). The research conducted by ‘het Innovatie Platform’ (the Innovation Platform) and the ‘SER’ (Social and Economic Council) also highlight the Dutch industry’s leading position in this field.