Cargill, Vattenfall to offtake power from 90-MW Dutch wind project

Swedish utility Vattenfall AB and US agriculture and food group Cargill Inc on Tuesday announced a partnership with Windpark Hanze, a 90-MW onshore wind project in the Netherlands set to be fully operational in 2023.

Under a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) Vattenfall will buy the output of 78 MW from the wind park and will sell 2.9 TWh to Cargill under a 10-year corporate PPA. The arrangement will see more than 90% of Cargill’s grid-based electricity consumption in the Netherlands supplied by 13 of the wind farm’s 15 wind turbines.

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For Cargill the corporate PPA is the largest physical renewable power purchase signed globally and its first in Europe. The deal supports the group’s objective of reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 10% from a 2017 baseline by 2025.

“Partnering with Cargill and Windpark Hanze will not only help to decarbonize the Dutch industrial sector but will also support the buildout of renewable capacity, further increasing the share of green electricity in the Dutch energy mix,” commented Martijn Hagens, chief executive Vattenfall Netherlands.

Windpark Hanze, located near Dronten in Flevoland province, is an initiative of 26 agricultural entrepreneurs, 180 local investors and the regional public water authority Waterschap Zuiderzeeland. It is part of Windplan Groen, a regional initiative that consists of 11 onshore wind projects totalling 500 MW, all planned to be fully operational in 2023.