The residents (represented through the Environmental Advisory Council) proposed to formalize the agreements regarding the wind farm in a contract. In this environmental agreement, the Environmental Advisory Council makes agreements with the initiator of the wind farm, the energy cooperative, and the province. The Dutch Association of Residents Near Wind Turbines (NLVOW) has supported the residents and is also a signatory to the agreement.

The agreements include:

• Limiting and controlling noise and shadow flicker, and almost completely turning off the lighting of the wind turbines.
• Financial contributions for residents and the community.
• Offering compensation in advance for potential adverse effects (this is called disadvantage compensation).
• How complaints and enforcement are handled, and how residents receive information during construction and when the wind farm is in use.
• Preventing damage, for example from vibrations.

Antecedent Agreement

In addition to the environmental agreement, the Provincial Executive has also established the antecedent agreement. This is a contract between the initiator of the wind farm and the province. These agreements include:

• How the costs incurred by the province will be settled with the initiator.
• The assurance that a new owner will also adhere to the agreements from the environmental agreement.

Next Steps

• Processing the opinion note by the Provincial States: the opinion note for the draft project decision has been submitted for information to the Provincial States. They will discuss the opinion note in June 2025.
• Decision-making on the project decision by the Provincial Executive: The Provincial Executive is expected to make a decision on the project decision after the summer vacation of 2025. After the project decision is established, it will be available for review and it will be possible to appeal to the Council of State.