On February 10, 2026, the executive boards of the municipalities of Oisterwijk, Goirle, Hilvarenbeek, and Tilburg, along with the daily board of Waterschap De Dommel, approved the final Scoping and Level of Detail Memorandum (NRD) for the De Baars energy hub.
Chairman of the De Baars steering group Eric Logister: “By establishing the NRD, we take an important step in the De Baars area process. We can now start researching the effects of the wind and water challenges. In parallel, we will begin drafting the vision for the De Baars area. We will also work out how to shape participation and communication with all stakeholders in the area. I am pleased that this decision now provides more direction and especially clarity for everyone involved in this area.”
The NRD describes which topics will be investigated in the coming period and at what level of detail. This forms the framework for the research needed to carefully map the possible developments in the De Baars area. Based on the established NRD, the municipalities of Tilburg, Oisterwijk, Goirle, and Hilvarenbeek and Waterschap De Dommel will start drafting the Environmental Impact Report (OER) and elaborating the environmental program area vision.
What is being researched?
The OER is a broad study into the effects of possible choices for the area. Besides environmental aspects such as noise and air quality, broader themes are also included, such as health, welfare, economy, and climate. The study provides insight into the current situation, expected effects under unchanged policy, and consequences of different policy choices. The OER forms an important underpinning for the environmental program area vision.
Participation and follow-up
In the coming period, work will also continue on the environmental program area vision. New participation meetings will be organized in this phase. Residents, entrepreneurs, partners, and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to think along and discuss developments in the area. Where possible, the outcomes of the OER will be used as input during these meetings.
Consultation and adjustments
Responses from the consultation period in 2025 and the wishes and concerns of the municipal councils and the water board’s board from December 2025 have led to some adjustments in the draft NRD. The main changes are:
- More attention to noise: follow-up research now also includes maximum noise levels, low-frequency noise, and guidelines from the World Health Organization, such as 45 dB Lden;
- Additional research variants added: supplementary research variants have been submitted. All submitted variants have been carefully reviewed and discussed. Three extra variants will be included in the research.
- More detail in the research: due to many concrete questions, the Environmental Impact Report will be more precisely elaborated in several parts;
- Update of the search area: recent information from Defense shows that previous obstacles, such as radar interference, are no longer current due to advancing insights. This creates, from Defense’s perspective, the possibility to include part of the search area in the wind energy research, so all reasonably considered alternatives can be included.
More information on the webpage Energy Hub De Baars