More than 300 interested parties to North Sea Offshore
'Wind energy creates opportunities in the Noordkop'
Den Helder, 2 June 2017 - The future job engine for the Kop van Noord-Holland is wind energy. That was the position taken by Hans Timmers, chairman of the board of the Netherlands Wind Energy Association (NWEA) on 1 June, during a successful North Sea Offshore in theater De Kampanje in Den Helder. 'There will be thirty to forty thousand jobs around wind.' The theme for the day was 'New Energy', subtitled 'Gas meets Wind'.
More than three hundred interested parties from the offshore industry had registered for the day. During the morning program, the participants visited various offshore companies in the region, in the afternoon they could listen to speakers Scott Seatter from onshore gaswinner Vermilion, visual artist Tanja Engelberts and Hans Timmers. They tried to give the public a new vision of the offshore industry and energy production.
Renewable energy storage
Although the first planned wind farms are not located directly off the coast in the Noordkop, Hans Timmers thinks there is an enormous opportunity for the so-called North Sea Energy Gateway, the partnership in the field of the offshore energy market. 'It won't be long before the wind farms are no longer too far from Den Helder. We must focus on this enormous gateway to the North Sea and the rest of the world. ' Timmers sees a role for ports, among other things, with possible storage of sustainable energy.
Challenges
Scott Seatter saw three major challenges for Vermilion: the fuss about gas extraction, the limited involvement of local government in gas production, and the energy transition: 'That's why we are doing everything we can to facilitate sustainable energy projects. We did this in Middenmeer, for example, where we entered into a joint venture with ECW to supply heat to the local gas network via geothermal energy. '
The organizing parties Port of Den Helder, Development Company Noord-Holland Noord, HSV Den Helder and Den Helder Airport also call this third edition of North Sea Offshore a success. Jacoba Bolderheij, director of Port of Den Helder: 'This is the right way to show what we have to offer here.' John Spee, Noord-Holland Noord Development Company: 'Our goal is to put the maritime sector in the region on the map. And it worked. For many people it was worth it again to make the journey to the far north '
NSO will be held on June 7, 2018 next year.
