The cabinet is making more funds available for investments in the livability of the regions where electricity from offshore wind farms comes ashore. Zeeland, as one of the five regions, will receive 49 million euros this time. This is part of the package of area investments from the Climate Fund and the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Commission.
Offshore wind farm landings
The connection of offshore wind farms impacts the land due to the construction of the necessary infrastructure. Therefore, the national government collaborates with other authorities by investing in the quality of life in the five regions. The Province of Zeeland has made a plan with concrete projects for this purpose. The projects fall within one of the following themes: preserving & strengthening nature, improving the physical living environment, strengthening the regional economy, and accelerating the energy transition. The energy transition is the shift from fossil energy sources (coal, oil, natural gas) to renewable sources (sun, wind, water).
The Province of Zeeland emphasizes the importance of visible investments that contribute to the well-being of residents. For example, the Veerse Meer Area Fund, which was realized with money from the first tranche in 2024. Within this project, the municipalities of Goes, Noord-Beveland, Middelburg, and Veere work together with the Province of Zeeland to give a quality boost to the area around the Veerse Meer.
Johan Aalberts, Deputy for Energy Transition: Zeeland plays an important role in the energy transition of the Netherlands. The electricity generated on the North Sea comes ashore here. It is therefore logical that we as a region benefit from the revenues of offshore wind. With these funds, we invest in livability, economy, and further sustainability.
Daniëlle de Clerck, Deputy for Spatial Planning: The construction of infrastructure for offshore wind demands a lot from our space and environment. That is why it is important that this investment visibly contributes to the quality of our living environment. With these compensation funds, we can invest in strong nature, an attractive living environment, and a future-proof design of Zeeland. This way, we ensure that benefits and burdens are better balanced.
Future with sustainable energy
The Netherlands is in the middle of a transition from fossil energy to sustainable energy. Ultimately, the Netherlands aims to be climate neutral by 2050. Due to the favorable location of our country, it is possible to generate a lot of sustainable energy on the North Sea. This makes the North Sea the engine of our future energy system. From the wind farms, the generated energy goes from the North Sea to the Netherlands.
The connection to the electricity grid is made via cables. For offshore wind farms, locations are needed to make these connections between sea and land possible. This happens in Northern Netherlands (Eemshaven), Zeeland (Borsele), Rotterdam (Maasvlakte), the North Sea Canal area, and around Moerdijk and Geertruidenberg. With area investments, the national government wants to strengthen the living environment in these places together with the regions. This makes the Netherlands wealthier, more sustainable, and less dependent on other countries.
More information about the new projects in Zeeland can be found here.