Construction of solar park at Vopak Eemshaven Terminal to start
Construction of the solar park at the Vopak Terminal Eemshaven, located in Eemshaven in the province of Groningen, the Netherlands, will start in the first quarter of 2021. The new solar park will have a capacity of approximately 25 megawatts (MW), which equates to an average consumption of approximately 8,000 Dutch households. The subsidy and permit processes as well as the financing have been successfully completed.
The solar park will be built on 19 hectares of land around the Vopak Terminal Eemshaven. According to the current planning, the first green power will be supplied to the electricity grid in the third quarter of 2021.
“This project fits well within Vopak’s ambition to work with partners to develop infrastructure solutions for facilitating sustainable energy. It also enables us to gain more knowledge and experience with electricity as an energy carrier,” said Timo Spaninks, managing director, Vopak.
“This solar park is a wonderful collaboration between the parties involved. And our participation also safeguards the local character of the project. We are also pleased that companies such as Vopak and Whitehelm are investing in sustainable energy in our region, especially in these times. Locally produced green energy is of great importance to us in making the port area more sustainable and thus helping the energy transition forward. This is also reflected in companies that want to establish themselves here, precisely because of the availability of sustainable energy,” says Cas König, CEO of Groningen Seaports.
“Whitehelm is delighted to be able to make a sustainable contribution to Dutch energy security and the transition towards climate-neutral power production. In addition to our investment in Vopak Terminal Eemshaven we look forward to once again partner with Vopak and Groningen Seaports. The development of Vopak Solar Park Eemshaven fits perfectly in our policy of being a long-term partner, with respect for both local needs and the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said Wessel Schevernels, chairman of Vopak Terminal Eemshaven and senior investment director at Whitehelm.
Vopak Solar Park Eemshaven is a joint venture with the parties Groningen Seaports, Vopak and funds managed by Whitehelm Capital. The first plans for this solar park were announced in February 2019.
About Vopak
Royal Vopak is the world’s leading independent tank storage company. Vopak is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.vopak.com.
About Whitehelm Capital
Whitehelm Capital is one of the world’s most experienced independently-owned infrastructure managers. With an outstanding track-record spanning over 22 years, Whitehelm has invested EUR6.7 billion (USD8.1 billion), with more than EUR6.9 billion (USD8.4 billion) returned to investors and EUR3.4 billion (USD4.1 billion) in assets currently under management. For more information, visit www.whitehelmcapital.com.
About Groningen Seaports
Groningen Seaports is the entrepreneur, developer and authority for the port of Delfzijl, Eemshaven and the adjacent business parks. The organization provides the complete package of port services to its industrial and commercial customers, from logistics and infrastructure to allocation and maintenance of the sites in both port regions. In addition to the two excellently equipped ports, Groningen Seaports manages the business parks around the ports and in other areas in the Eemsdelta. For more information, visit www.groningen-seaports.com.
