In 2016 Pondera became active in Indonesia, aiming to accelerate the energy transition in emerging markets. The country has set targets for 23% of renewable energy in its energy mix by 2025. However, plenty interest from renewable energy developers and the availability of financing on attractive terms, the development of renewable energy infrastructure has…
From March 20-22, Pondera will be present at the WindEurope Conference & Exhibition in Bilbao. This annual event takes place this year at the Bilbao Exhibition Center. Professionals from all over the world come together to discuss the latest developments and challenges in the onshore and offshore wind energy sector. With more than 12,000…
On February 28, 2024, Eco-Runner Team Delft presented the design of the Eco-Runner XIV. As a proud sponsor of Eco-Runner Team Delft, Pondera attended this presentation. The Eco-Runner Team Delft is a team of enthusiastic students from Delft University of Technology. Every year they design the most efficient hydrogen-powered car possible. They participate…
Pondera Consult, together with its subcontractors DWT and OutSmart is pleased to have concluded a Sub-Consultancy Agreement with Korean company Yooshin Engineering Corporation for the Wando Geumil Offshore Wind Project in Korea. End client Wando Geumil Offshore Wind Co. (SPC), whose majority shareholder is KOEN (Korea South East Power Co. Ltd.), requested Operations &…
On January 25, 2024, the Geoawesomeness Meetup took place, in which Erik Holtslag, Senior Consultant Renewable Energy at Pondera, shared his expertise. During this webinar, Erik talked about the possibilities of the combination Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) in the offshore wind energy sector. GRASP is a Large Eddy Simulation…
Pondera welcomes 6 new team members who started in December and in January. With their own knowledge and experience they will strengthen various Pondera teams. All of them are driven to contribute to the energy transition. We are happy to introduce them to you. Dong Khanh Linh joined Pondera Vietnam as a Renewable…
Gertjan joined Pondera in August 2023. He is an experienced consultant and project manager with over 18 years of experience in spatial planning. We asked Gertjan some questions to get to know him better. Can you tell us some more about your background? I graduated from Wageningen University (WUR) as a landscape architect. In…
With growing offshore wind capacity, as part of our energy transition, several modelling studies of the wind climate in the North Sea have been done in recent years. As part of the WINS50 project (“Winds of the North Sea in 2050”), by KNMI, TUDelft and Whiffle, Pondera collaborated on a case study for wind…
Pondera is growing. In recent months we have welcomed five new colleagues: Leila, Margo, Marieke, Cato and Edo. We would like to introduce them to you below. Leila Siebke works as a Renewable Energy Consultant in the Technical Team. She is motivated and enjoys contributing to making our planet more habitable. Leila loves working…
The Netherlands’ electricity grid is full. Applications for grid connections are being declined in more and more places. This is unpleasant for companies that want to electrify, because waiting for grid extensions can take years. The high energy prices of recent years have increased the costs for grid operators. This is factored into…
Wind Farm Hollandse Kust Noord (HKNN) is located in the North Sea, 18.5 km west of Egmond aan Zee. At the end of October 2023, the 69th turbine was installed, bringing the first subsidy-free wind farm into operation. The farm is operated by CrossWind, a joint venture between Shell and Eneco. The government has…
Pondera has just started an extensive assignment commissioned by the World Bank to support the Sri Lankan government on offshore wind. According to the recently published roadmap by the World Bank, the South Asian island nation has great potential for offshore wind development. The initial scouting exercise estimates locational potential of about 27…
In 2023, we celebrated the target of 4.5 GW of installed capacity of offshore wind energy. A major milestone that was achieved on time at less cost than anticipated. Clearly a success story. But there is a history preceding this. Together with Hans Rijntalder, we look back at 20 years of offshore wind. …
Our international team continues to expand! In recent months, we have welcomed three new colleagues in our offices abroad: Anneke in Indonesia, Truc in Vietnam and Gertjan in Finland. We would like to introduce them to you. Anneke Julianita works as a business developer in our Jakarta office. Her enthusiasm to accelerate the energy…
Marieke Dirksen joined Pondera in September 2023. We would like to learn more about this Wind Resource Specialist, so we posed Marieke some questions. Can you tell us something about your background? I completed my Master “Earth surface and water” at the University of Utrecht, focusing on river and coastal processes. After my studies…
Pondera has been commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate to draw up the Environmental Impact Report, an appropriate assessment and the test on species for the newly to be issued Nederwiek I (south) wind energy site. Research is being conducted into the effects of a wind farm of 2 to 2.3 GW.…
Pondera is proud to announce to have been awarded a project for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For this project an analysis is conducted and an implementation plan is designed to determine how the Netherlands can best contribute to the implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in South Africa and Indonesia. Pondera…
From June 23 until August 4, 2023, the zoning plan, the final permits and exemptions and the MER Environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the Net op zee Offshore grid IJmuiden Ver Gamma project were available for inspection. No appeals have been filed, which means the decisions are irrevocable. A great milestone for this project. Arcadis…
Anja Schönnebeck started working at Pondera in March 2023 as a Wind Resource Analyst. To learn more about her, we posed her some questions. Can you tell us something about your background? I studied Geophysics in Münster where I learnt a lot about the Earth, measurement methods, math, physics, and fluid dynamics. Due to…
Pondera in Indonesia recently moved to a new office, and we welcomed another new colleague. Pondera’s team in Indonesia recently moved into a new office. Our new address is: The CEO Building, 12th floor Jalan TB Simatupang No. 18C Jakarta Selatan 12430 Indonesia The move to the new office came right in time to…
The Netherlands aims to be climate neutral in 2050. This has major consequences for the future energy system. On 3 July 2023, Minister Jetten (Climate and Energy) presented the Nationaal Plan Energiesysteem (National Energy System Plan) and Programma Energiehoofdstructuur (Main Energy Structure Programme). These contain directional choices and the plans for the required space for…
Pondera has been contracted by the EU through the EU Climate Dialogues Project (EUCDs) to study the offshore wind potential in Indonesia and to organize an international conference on just energy transition and offshore wind energy. Close engagement with relevant stakeholders including the Indonesian Government, business community and other actors will be kept throughout…
Rinze Spaanstra has been working for Pondera’s Construction, Building & Exploitation team since May 2023. To find out more, we asked him a few questions. What did you do before you came to Pondera? I come from the Rotterdam area, where I completed my studies in Business Administration and Dutch Law. Thereafter I fulfilled…
In Koegorspolder, south of Terneuzen, Shell is constructing one of the largest solar parks in the Netherlands. Pondera has been closely involved in the supervision of construction and implementation. For Pondera it is the first project where we provide construction supervision for a solar park only. The Koegorspolder solar park has a total…
Suzanne has been working at Pondera since May 2023, where she works to provide all kinds of support for our colleagues in Pondera’s offices abroad. She works closely with Eric Arends, vice-chairman of Pondera Groep. To get to know Suzanne better, we asked her a few questions. Can you tell us something about your…
In recent months we have welcomed four new colleagues to Pondera. We are very happy that they have come to work with us, and would therefore like to introduce you to Rinze, Renee, Eugene and Suzanne. Suzanne Klerx Suzanne has been working at Pondera since May 2023. She supports our branch offices abroad…
Eugene Bajema recently joined Pondera as Business Developer, based in New Zealand. Pondera is perfectly positioned to support the developing renewable energy industry in NZ as highlighted by the New Zealand Government’s 2050 vision. With extensive experience in the offshore industry, Eugene is keen to play a part in this. We asked Eugene…
Recently, there have been many discussions behind the scenes about potentially setting a limit on the height of wind turbines. A height limit should stabilize the development and manufacturing process and allow for more sustainable operations. A workgroup on the issue recommends a maximum height of 1,000 feet, or 305 meters, for new wind turbines.…
Building good relationships with customers and colleagues is always a real pleasure. Pondera has had the honour of carrying out more than 25 projects both for and with Enexis, which we are very proud of. The energy transition requires major expansions of the electricity grid which need to be implemented in the coming years. In…
From left to right: Bastiaan Bor (Business Developer Pondera), Rae Lescelius (Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Finland Copenhagen), Bert van der Lingen (Vice-chairman NWEA), Hans Rijntalder (Chairman Pondera Group), Eric Arends (Vice-chairman Pondera Groep), Arne Brandsma (Deputy Head of Mission Dutch Embassy), Caroline Kullbäck (Etha Wind Managing Director), Marko Ekman (Etha Wind Business Development Director).…
March 8th, 2023, 12.08. Location: Scottish West Coast. One last check of all the safety procedures with the crew, going over the lifting plan and securing the delivery location, and then it’s finally time. Time to cast off the ropes and sail out of the harbor, into the North Sea, at about 4 knots (about…
Jeroen de Veth is teamleader of Team Data-analyse and Modelling as of December 2022. Jeroen succeeds Bouke Vogelaar, who wants to focus more on projects within Pondera as a senior consultant. Jeroen joined Pondera in November 2021 as a specialist in system integration and flexibility solutions, including hydrogen conversion and the deployment of various…
Offshore wind energy is going to grow substantially in the following decennia. The 2030 route map already shows a 21 GW capacity and the goal for 2050 is very ambitious, aiming for 70GW. These windfarms produce electricity that requires transportation towards land. Given the great distance to the coast, this requires multiple direct current (DC)…
Martijn ten Klooster succeeds Sergej van de Bilt as director of Pondera Consult as of March 6. Sergej will continue to work within Pondera as senior consultant and partner. Martijn takes over the daily management from Sergej and together with Paul Janssen as deputy director, will form the new management of Pondera Consult. In…
We proudly welcomed our new colleagues who started with us in January 2023: Joann Smit and Roy van Alst. We are happy to introduce them both to you. Joann Smit As communications specialist, Joann plays an important role in environmental communication. He is a valuable asset to the Marketing & Communications team.…
Wind farm Noordoostpolder, with a capacity of 429 MW, is the largest wind project realized to date in the Netherlands on land and in the water of the IJsselmeer. It actually consists of three projects which together form Windpark Noordoostpolder. Project manager Location Client Koepel Windenergie Noordoostpolder Country Nederland Start 01/01/2007
Pondera provided the EIA and permit procedure for Yard Energy, Innogy (formerly RWE) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs for the National Coordination Regulation (RCR) Wind Farm N33. On 29 May 2019, the Council of State issued a decision on Wind Farm N33 and concluded that the decision was taken with due care. The Windpark…
A group of farmers, united in the Stichting Duurzame Energie Exloërmond, Windpark Oostermoer BV and Raedthuys Windenergie BV (Pure Energie,) have joined forces to jointly develop a large-scale wind farm in the Drenthe Veenkoloniën. Pondera was asked to supervise the procedures for the initiative and to manage the environmental impact assessment for the national integration…
Fryslân wind farm is a unique and large-scale wind project in the Ijsselmeer, near Breezanddijk on the Afsluitdijk. The project, with a total of 89 Siemens Gamesa turbines and an installed capacity of 383 MW, is currently under construction. The capacity per turbine is 4.3 MW (SWT-DD-130 wind turbine) with a diameter of 130 metres,…
The Windpower Nijmegen cooperative constructed a wind farm in Nijmegen North, along the A15 motorway. This wind farm consists of 4 wind turbines (a fifth is possible from a planning point of view) and has been supplying electricity since the end of 2016. Pondera guided the initiator and involved authorities from the planning phase to…
The Ministry of Economic Affairs initiated a new roll-out system for offshore wind energy with the Wind at Sea bill. Part of this is that TenneT has been designated as the offshore grid operator. A transmission system is being constructed at sea for the sites (parcels) in the Borssele wind energy area, off the coast…
Windpark Westfrisia B.V. has a wind farm on the Westfrisiaweg (N302) in the municipality of Medemblik, consisting of five wind turbines developed in 2019. The initiative has a long history and meets the requirements of a so-called transitional arrangement of the Province of Noord-Holland. A Provincial integration plan has therefore been drawn up under the…
Zeewolde development association wants to develop a wind farm of approximately 100 wind turbines with associated civil and electrical facilities in the province of Flevoland. There are currently 220 wind turbines on the outskirts of the municipality of Zeewolde. The remediation of these wind turbines is part of the project. Zeewolde wind farm falls under…
For the Synergie Wind Farm, near the Tolhuislanden and Nieuwleusen-West wind farms, Pondera provided the EIA and the zoning plan and conducted research into acoustics, shadow flicker effects, external safety, visualisations and yield calculations. A special feature of the process for the wind farm was that the EIA was emphatically used to arrive at a…
For the wind energy area of Hollandse Kust (zuid), Pondera prepared an EIA, Appropriate Assessment and a list of species (under the Flora & Fauna Act), on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Rijkswaterstaat. Documentation will be prepared in order to take decisions on the land use of four parcels in the offshore…
Ampyx Power is developing an Airborne Wind Energy system with a PowerPlane, a tethered aircraft that converts wind into electricity. The PowerPlane moves at an altitude of up to 450 metres where the wind is strong and constant. The technology is currently being tested in the Netherlands. Pondera assisted Ampyx in getting the required permits…
Park 15 Logistics B.V., Park 15 Business B.V. and Lidl N.V. wish to develop four wind turbines on the Park 15 industrial site, located in the municipality of Overbetuwe. For that purpose, Pondera is preparing an EI assessment, environmental permit application, attempting to obtain an exemption in connection with the Flora and Fauna Act and…
Hollandse Kust (noord) and Hollandse Kust (west Alpha) are two of the six offshore wind energy areas that will be developed in the Dutch part of the North Sea before 2023/2025. Wind turbines with a combined capacity of 700 MW will be installed in each of the areas. The Hollandse Kust (noord) area is located…
The world’s largest wind turbine was installed in the port of Rotterdam at the end of 2019. It is a GE’s Haliade X 14 MW test turbine. GE Renewable Energy aims to strengthen its worldwide offshore market share with this offshore wind turbine. The location of this turbine was eveloped by Sif and Pondera on…
Along the A15 motorway lies the Nijmegen-Betuwe Wind Farm, developed by the Nijmegen Windpower cooperative. The plan is to build a solar park of approximately 5 hectares at this wind farm, which has been developed with the support of Pondera. With approximately 17,000 solar panels, the park supplies enough sustainable electricity to supply 1,000 households…
In southern and eastern Flevoland, the existing solitary wind turbines and existing line arrangements are being re-powered in various subareas. In eastern Flevoland, around Biddinghuizen and Dronten, this subarea is Groen. The various initiators have joined forces in this subarea. The plan consists of one wind setup – almost all local initiators in collaboration with…
Bovenwind Wind Farm, also known as Staphorst Wind Farm, consists of 3 wind turbines in the municipality of Staphorst, and has an installed capacity of approximately 12 MW. The developer and owner of the wind farm is the cooperative Wij Duurzaam Staphorst (WDS), which initiated the wind farm in collaboration with the Waterschap Drents Overijsselse…
Pondera advises the High Tech Agro Campus Association (VHTAC) from the early initiative to the final permits for 11 wind turbines of approx. 4.5 MW south of Reusel and near the Belgian border. The VHTAC only consists of members who live near the wind farm. It is a completely local project and is therefore fully…
In the Lithse polder in the municipalities of Oss and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, some 80 agricultural companies have planned to set up a large-scale wind farm with an indicative size of approximately 100 MW – 150 MW. Since 2015, the farmers have been working closely together to not only develop a wind farm, but also to distribute…
At one of the wind locations in the municipality of Emmen, a wind farm of 14 wind turbines with an installed capacity of up to 50.5 MW and a solar park of approx. 30 hectares is being developed, collectively called Pottendijk Energy Park. Pondera guided the EIA procedure for the Energy Park and submitted the…
Hollandse Kust (Noord) is an offshore wind energy area that will contain over 700 MW of wind energy power. The area lies over 18 kilometres off the coast of Petten, and will provide enough power for over 1 million Dutch households. Hollandse Kust (Noord) is one of six offshore wind energy areas that is being…
The municipality of Bergen has an ambitious plan to transform the Wells Meer area, near the Maasduinen, into an Energy Estate. This plan is part of a larger program: VerduurSAMEN 2030. This states that the Energy Estate provides 50% of the total energy requirement of the entire municipality, which is 870 terrajoules per year. Pondera…
The Climate Agreement sets objectives for shaping the heat transition in the built environment and generatng more renewable electricity on land, specifically wind and solar energy. This is implemented in thirty regional energy strategies (RES), in which municipalities tackle this issue together. Pondera assisted in drawing up this RES for the Northeast Brabant region. It…
Jeju Hanlim Offshore Wind Co, a project consortium consisting of the companies Kepco Engineering and Construction, Komipo, Dealim and Baram, is developing an offshore wind farm near Jeju Island. Once completed, it will be the third offshore wind project in South Korea with an expected installed capacity of 100 MW. The country has chosen a…
From 2023, a new wind farm consisting of 20 turbines will be realised on the beach and dykes on the Second Maasvlakte. With over 100 MW of installed capacity, it is the first larger project that has been put on the market via a tender. Preparations for this tender already started around 2013. Eneco won…
This interview dates from early 2023. Meanwhile, Matthijs has graduated and works full-time at Pondera. The Pondera team works hard to take sustainable energy projects a step forward. In order to actually make this possible, growth is necessary. The Pondera team consists of juniors and seniors who contribute their expertise and knowledge to sustainable…
Pondera congratulates Shell and Eneco on winning the permit to build an offshore wind farm on Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI. With their joint venture Ecowinde, they will build a wind farm with minimal impact on nature. Pondera collaborated with Eneco and Shell on the ecology criterion for this tender and is proud to have…
From an early age, Pondera founder Hans Rijntalder knew he wanted to become an entrepreneur. While studying in America, he discovered his passion for the environment and climate. ‘What’s so appealing about being an entrepreneur? Being able to follow your instincts.’ We were in conversation with R ijntalder about the energy supply of the future, Pondera’s new role and the importance of ‘steady but healthy’ growth.
Whiffle started as an idea developed at TU Delft in 2016. Simply put, Whiffle is a meteorological data company that can precisely model weather on a very small scale using their self-developed model GRASP. Pondera’s Kyra de Haan and Mark Rijntalder talked to Bob Meijer and Adriaan Derksen about their latest innovation.
An increasing number of companies have one and even more are considering getting one: a battery. With more and more wind turbines and solar panels putting electricity on the grid, it is becoming progressively more challenging to balance supply and demand at every moment of the day. Batteries can provide a solution, but the business case can be complex and problematic, say Jeroen de Veth, Jim Quik and Mark Rijntalder of Pondera Consult.
Our team continues to grow. In recent months we have welcomed five new colleagues: Enriko, Gitte, Floris, Manuela and Linh. Read on to find out about our brand-new Ponderians. Enriko Weijers Enriko has been the Finance Manager at Pondera since August 2022. During his career so far, he has gained extensive professional experience as…
a.s.r. has acquired wind farm Strekdammen from Pondera and Rebel. The wind farm, which has been in operation since mid-2022, consists of two wind turbines at the breakwaters in Eemshaven. It is the fourth wind farm acquired by a.s.r. real estate on behalf of a.s.r., thus strengthening its contribution to the energy transition and…
Commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, a consortium of companies under the name H2C3 (H2 Cavern Conglomerate Combination) is to investigate the potential of storing hydrogen in Dutch salt caverns. This project is part of the research question KEM-28 from the Knowledge Programme on Effects of Mining. KEM-28 is focused on the quantification of…
Together with relations and colleagues we celebrated the opening of Windpark Strekdammen on August 31st. A project that has been realized by Pondera and Rebel in the Eemshaven estuary and consists of the installation of two nearshore GE Cypress 5.5 MW wind turbines. Windturbine supplier: GE Renewable Energy: Foundation supplier: KWS Infra Electrical work supplier: Alsema…
Three new colleagues have recently joined the ever-growing Pondera team. Varildo, Mark and Egbert briefly introduce themselves below. Varildo Vaseur Varildo works as a Renewable Energy Advisor within the Contracting, Construction and Operations team. He started his career in Suriname and specialises in solar energy projects. ‘I am really looking forward to taking on new…
The energy transition is inevitable, and many people want clean energy. However, local residents may be concerned if a wind turbine is placed in proximity of their homes. Noise and shadow flickering may cause stress and annoyance for some. Prof. Dr. Gundula Hübner researches the social acceptance of renewable energy sources. ‘Everyone experiences the energy…
Offshore wind farms are on the rise. In the next ten years, another 10 gigawatts of capacity will be built in the North Sea, relatively close to the coast. But what happens after 2030? Will we continue to build? Will we be able to use the renewable energy, or will we turn it into hydrogen? We speak to Frans Rooijers and Martha Deen from the research and consultancy firm CE Delft.
The completion of Wind Farm Strekdammen is getting closer! In part 3 of our vlog series, reporter Anne de Boer shows us on site how the construction of the two turbines is progressing. Colleague Björn Konink explains more about the background of this project. He outlines what happened prior to the construction of the two…
Charlie Huang, Korean team member of the Branche office of Pondera in Seoul, is the director of the new company Pondera Risk Consult. Charlie has in-depth knowledge and experience in insurance and risk assessments. The growth of renewable energy projects in Korea is the reason to start this specialized company. Korea is poised to begin…
The AmpHytrite project is aimed at mastering the complexity of a centralized offshore and off-grid hydrogen production unit and is aiming a staged construction and operation of this green hydrogen offshore wind production unit. The ultimate objective of the project would be to contribute to affordable large-scale green hydrogen production at sea, thereby supporting decarbonization…
Pondera’s Joost Sissingh participated in the Dutch trade mission to the Baltic States. This visit to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania focused on offshore wind energy and took place from 10 to 14 April 2022. Together with a delegation of Dutch companies, Joost visited the capitals of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. A packed programme in which…
Pertamina NRE and Pondera Development BV (Pondera) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the development of wind power plants in Indonesia on Thursday 21 April 2022. Through the MoU, both parties agreed to focus on a collaboration in developing wind farms in several regions. The collaboration encompasses strategic, technical, as well as commercial cooperation.…
During April 2022, Eric Arends was on a work visit to Vietnam and Indonesia. Eric is responsible for Pondera in Southeast Asia and after two and a half years of travel restrictions due to Covid, he was fortunately able to visit both countries again. The purpose of this visit was to physically meet up with…
Pondera continues to expand, and at the end of March, we welcomed five new colleagues: Mark, Desiree, Jeroen, Sergio and Richelle. Please allow us to introduce them to you. Mark Rijntalder Mark works as a Renewable Energy Consultant in the team Data-analysis and Modelling. As a result of his graduate internships at both Pondera and…
In the first week of April 2022, we were at CWW2022, the Conference on Wind energy and Wildlife impacts at Egmond aan Zee. CWW is an internationally recognized event to share and engage in the latest science, focused on better understanding the risk of wind energy to wildlife and developing solutions to avoid, minimize, and…
Pondera has entered into a license agreement with Whiffle to use Whiffle’s innovative model called GRASP (GPU-resident Atmospheric Simulation Platform). With Whiffle’s GRASP model, Pondera puts itself on the forefront of wind resource modelling. Whiffle’s unique technology involves Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) for running the weather simulations and allows users of the model to perform…
The Dutch government seeks to generate an additional 10 gigawatts of wind energy in the North Sea by 2030 in order to reduce 55% of the CO2 emissions as compared to 1990. The new wind energy areas will be in addition to existing wind energy plans. An environmental impact report for these new areas has…
Obstruction lighting for wind turbines higher than 150 metres, which is often seen as a nuisance, may now be switched off at night more often. Using a detection system, the warning lights will then only be activated when an aircraft approaches a wind farm. The first detection systems have been tested and meet the requirements…
Reports, studies and/or data must not be too old under the Environment & Planning Act (Dutch: Omgevingswet) and the Environment & Planning Scheme (Dutch: Omgevingsregeling), which will be effective from 1 July 2022. Studies on the implications and impact of for example a wind farm, a solar park or a battery storage are required in…
Joost Starmans has arrived in Vietnam! Vietnam is widely considered as a promising market for renewable energy, thanks to its vast natural resources, ever-growing energy demand and the country’s commitment at COP26 (Glasgow Climate Conference) to be carbon neutral by 2050. Joost has recently moved to Vietnam to support the roll-out of our services and…
In this second part of our vlog series, Pondera’s reporter Joost visits the Eemshaven estuary. Project manager Jorden shows us around the site where Windpark Strekdammen is being constructed. On this particular day, the 30 meter long piles will be delivered. The pile drivers will then drive them into the ground to form a solid…
At the end of November 2021, Wind farm Bovenwind achieved a financial close and the final notice to proceed was issued to wind turbine manufacturer ENERCON and contractor Van den Heuvel. Partly through the efforts of cooperative Wij Duurzaam Staphorst (WDS) and the water board WDO Delta, and the pleasant cooperation with the ASN Bank,…
The construction of the Strekdammen wind farm is progressing well. Pondera and Rebel are working to deliver two wind turbines in the Eemshaven estuary with a total capacity of 11 MW. The American firm GE is delivering turbines made especially for these brackish conditions. Contractors VolkerWind and Alsema are responsible for the construction. The turbines are…
In late October 2021, the Rijn & IJssel Regional Water Authority signed the delivery and maintenance contracts for two Enercon E-138 EP3 E2 wind turbines. These wind turbines, with a joint installed capacity of 8.4 MW, are due to be installed on the site of the sewage treatment plant on the InnoFase industrial estate in…
Between 10 and 12 November 2021, the BIXPO event was held in Gwangju, South Korea. At the invitation of the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Eric Arends, vice chairman of the Pondera group, gave a presentation on ‘Offshore wind power business development and operation in South Korea’. Afterwards, guests including Ban Ki-Moon, former secretary-general of…
Pondera has been in existence for over 14 years, and in that time it has grown into a flourishing business employing around 70 people in the Netherlands and abroad. The energy transition is associated with many different complex issues. In order to be able to continue to respond to future developments, we have decided to…
Pondera in Arnhem has undergone a metamorphosis. On 25 October 2021, we moved into the new office next to Arnhem Central Station. The open look, fresh colours and a combination of open and closed work areas provide an inspiring and comfortable working environment. Naturally we have opted for sustainable materials and ergonomic furniture. The concept…
Pondera is conducting research for the Unie van Waterschappen (Dutch Association of Water Boards) into a sustainable solution to make sewage treatment plants less dependent on the electricity grid. This has led to the idea of a Smart Energy Hub: an electrolyser installed at a sewage treatment plant to produce green hydrogen. Combined with a…
In order to assess the performance of existing wind farms, specifically whether a wind farm is achieving its intended energy yield, Pondera has developed a method for preparing what is commonly known in the market as a Post-Construction Assessment. By using this method, Pondera is able to analyse SCADA data from the wind farm (an…
With the energy transition in full swing, the Dutch energy grid is becoming increasingly burdened. As a result, the supply of renewable energy to the grid is limited in some regions which therefore impedes the realisation of new renewable energy projects. This effect is also known as curtailment. To achieve further progress in sustainability, creative…
On Thursday 16 September 2021, Pondera joined the online Trade Mission and was introduced to several interesting Vietnamese organisations. Pondera recognizes Vietnam as a strong potential growth market for renewable energy. Since 2017, our organisation is making efforts in becoming an important player in the Vietnamese energy market. The Trade Mission took place online, as…
Pondera and SolarDuck, a key player in the floating offshore solar market, signed a memorandum of understanding detailing the development of 555 MWp of offshore solar projects over the coming years. The companies plan to develop these projects between 2023 and 2025. Near term projects shall be located in the Netherlands, while those further into…
Tom Herfs has been working at Pondera since June 2021. Within the team Environment and Spatial Planning, Tom is a junior advisor on renewable energy and is involved in, among other things, feasibility studies and GIS analyses. Tom has a special affinity with the social aspects of renewable energy projects. In 2020 he obtained a…
Pondera has been active in Vietnam for several years and is currently preparing a permanent stay with the setup of a local branch office. We consider Vietnam a very promising growth market, due to great resources for renewable energy, the country’s urgent need for electricity to power the ever-growing economy, and the Vietnamese government’s commitment…
Fortunately it is a rare occurrence, but wind turbines can fail in such ways that they pose a risk to the safety of the surrounding area. Imagine the damage caused by a (part of a) rotor blade breaking off, the tower collapsing or the nacelle falling down. Although incidents almost never occur, research into the…
At the end of June 2021, the cooperative Wij Duurzaam Staphorst signed the supply contract for three Enercon E-138 EP3 E3 wind turbines for wind farm Bovenwind – the first wind turbines of this type to be built worldwide. Pondera supervised the tendering process on behalf of the cooperative and successfully completed the contract negotiations…
The fact that our blog on wind turbine noise and health from 2018 is still being read to this day and is the most read blog on our website leads us to conclude that the issue of health effects is relevant. It indicates that the subject is still topical and is of concern to many…
Mark van Doorn has been employed by Pondera since 1 May 2021 and works within the CBE team, which is involved in the Contracting, Construction & Exploitation of sustainable energy projects. Mark has been active in the wind industry since 2000 and gained his experience at Lagerwey, Harakosan, XEMC Darwind and the last 7 years…
On 28 May 2021, the construction of Windplan Groen officially started. The first activities were the decommissioning of several existing wind turbines in the area and the construction of the high-voltage substation on the Olsterpad. All wind turbines are expected to be online in 2022. Windplan Groen is an initiative in the southeast of Flevoland,…
The Pondera team welcomes four new colleagues: Mark, Rita, John and Tom. We are very confident that they’ll make a major contribution to our team. We would like to introduce our new colleagues to you: Mark van Doorn As a contract manager, Mark will be involved in the contracting, construction and operation of sustainable energy…
Pondera recently completed the first (contracting) phase of owner’s engineering services for Jeju Hanlim Offshore Wind in South Korea. Pondera and Korean engineering company Hanmi Global are working on this project since 2019. This 100 MW offshore wind project is located in the northwestern part of Jeju Island and is the third offshore wind project…
South Korean ambitions for the renewable energy transition South Korea has announced a series of renewable energy masterplans in the recent past years and indicated their goals to generate 20% of energy with renewables by 2030. In line with these goals, President Moon emphasized Korean’s ambition to increase the current 124.5 MW installed offshore wind…
Five enthusiastic students from the Bachelor’s program in Natural Science and Innovation Management at Utrecht University, in collaboration with Pondera, have attempted to answer the question of which energy storage techniques can offer opportunities for Dutch wind projects. Energy storage is a hot topic these days and is widely regarded as one of the pillars…
Pondera is always working hard to take sustainable energy projects a step forward. The Pondera team consists of juniors and seniors who contribute their expertise and knowledge to the energy transition and the use of natural resources. In the series Pondera’s Podium we’ll be putting our Ponderians in the spotlight via a short interview. We…
This week, the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) published the Top 250 Growth Companies for the fifth time. This time around Pondera is on the list as one of the 12 growth companies in Gelderland. Justin Jansen, professor of entrepreneurship and academic director of ECE says: “The companies are progressive in developing new solutions, but…
Positive advice from the EIA Committee and a good example for other municipalities and regions The municipality of Enschede wants to produce at least 8% additional sustainable energy by 2030. How that goal will be achieved is described in the Energy Vision. On behalf of the municipality, Pondera has drawn up an Environmental Impact Assessment…
On 1 April 2021, Egbert Jansen became team leader of the CBE (Contracting, Construction and Exploitation) team. The CBE team deals with the contracting, construction & exploitation of sustainable energy projects. Egbert succeeds Angelique Strijker who has left Pondera. Egbert has been with Pondera since 2018. Coming from the contracting industry, he felt at home…
Colleagues at Pondera decided to fight against sitting down all day and motivate each other to clock up as many kilometres as they could for a good cause. The Ponderians have been forced to spend lots of time at home during lockdown. So, to motivate each other to keep moving, we created the 1000-Mile-Challenge. Over…
‘Need to know’ for wind farm procedure choice On 1 January, 2022, the Environmental and Planning Act (Omgevingswet) will come into force according to the official schedule, although according to news in recent days, it seems to be heading for another postponement… However, as long as that postponement has not yet been formally announced, we…
At the end of 2020, Shell acquired all the project rights of Energiepark Pottendijk from project developer Deddens. Pondera played an active role in making this acquisition possible. This agreement brings the construction and delivery of the energy park a huge step closer. For Pondera, the project has a long history. To facilitate the sale…
To formalise the cooperation between Pondera and Eneco and to make it run more smoothly, Pondera has again concluded a framework agreement at the initiative of Eneco. Pondera and Eneco have been working together successfully for several years on various projects, such as Windpark Maasvlakte 2, Windpark Oranjepolder in Oosterhout and Windpark Nieuwe Waterweg. The…
The installation of the wind turbines at Fryslân Windpark commenced in March 2021. The inter array cables for the wind farm were buried in the lakebed of the IJsselmeer. These cables with a diameter of 15cm were transported to the IJsselmeer on large reels. A large team buried the cables at a depth of two…
Pondera is to start works in Estonia. We will use our expertise in environmental impact assessment for the Saaremaa offshore wind farm. The wind farm is expected to consist of a maximum of 100 turbines with a total capacity of more than 1,000 MW. Preparations for the Saaremaa Offshore Wind Farm started in 2015. In…
At the end of 2020, Pondera and Rebel completed the financing for the Strekdammen Windpark (WPS) with ABN AMRO. Pondera and Rebel are planning to build two GE wind turbines with a total capacity of 11 MW in the estuary of Eemshaven. With the financial close completed, Pondera and Rebel, in collaboration with various stakeholders,…
The Pondera team continues to grow. These three recent graduates started with us in February. We are very pleased with this strengthening of our team and would like to introduce our new colleagues to you: Anne de boer As a recently graduated student of Complex Systems Engineering and Management, Anne will work as a Sustainable…
The construction of the Molenbosch Solar Park in Oldeberkoop is progressing steadily, with all the solar panels of the 2.4 hectare solar park now in place. The grid connection and the transformer station have also already been installed. After the start of the test phase, the first electricity from the solar park will be supplied…
Now that the US has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, offshore wind developers in that country foresee a bright future. In this new era, the US can make a giant leap and become an offshore wind energy forerunner in the foreseeable future. Pondera’s Maarten Jaspers Faijer outlines his vision on this development in his blog…
In 2021, Pondera will again welcome new colleagues to the team. The brand new Ponderians Frank and Bas started in January. We are certain that they will make a major contribution to the team. We would like to introduce our new colleagues to you: Frank Schellen With more than 10 years of experience in spatial…
US Offshore wind take-off In the last few months, a lot has been written on the potential take-off of offshore wind in the United States. Now that the US is ‘back in the game’ and is taking up on climate change by rejoining the Paris agreement, offshore wind developers foresee a bright short term future…
In recent weeks, the regional newspapers have paid attention in two weekend editions to some important pillars of the climate agreement: wind and solar energy. In the Energy of the Future series, readers were informed in short and actually quite bluntly about the consequences for nature and the landscape and the nuisance for the environment.…
For the Sharjah Electricity, Water & Gas Authority, the state-owned utility of the emirate Sharjah in the Gulf, Pondera will conduct a 3 year high-tech meteorological measurement campaign. The measurement campaign will be conducted with a small network of meteorological stations, amongst others sampling wind speed and direction, solar radiation and extensive dust measurements. The…
Since 2020, the two high-voltage connections Borssele Alpha and Beta have been operational. Borssele offshore grid transports two times 700 MW of wind energy from the Borssele offshore wind energy area to the national high-voltage grid. In this video some nice images are shown of the construction of the two offshore platforms, the offshore cables,…
I would like to invite you to read my blog. The reason for this blog is the publication of a series of articles in the media entitled: Energy of the future. In a nutshell, readers are informed about the consequences for nature and the landscape and the nuisance for the environment due to the arrival…
In the summer of 2020, Pondera was commissioned to perform a short wind measurement campaign to determine the effect of the existing wind farm Eemshaven on the wind speed. Earlier this year, Pondera Development purchased the right to build 2 wind turbines at the Dutch coastal project called Strekdammen, just to the north of Eemshaven.…
The EIA Commission has issued a positive assessment advice for the Environmental Impact Assessment of the Wind Park Maasvlakte 2. The Commission believes that the EIA contains the essential information to be able to take a decision on the Wind Park Maasvlakte 2, in which environmental interests are fully taken into account. Pondera prepared the…
The construction of Strekdammen Windpark is getting closer. At the end of 2020 Pondera and Rebel completed the financing of the wind farm with ABN AMRO. This means that the contractors VolkerWind (KWS Infra bv Leek / van Hattem en Blankevoort) and Alsema from Zuidlaren, will soon be able to start building the two wind…
Pondera has completed the investigation into the site decisions for Hollandse Kust (west) plots VI and VII, for which tenders are planned in 2021. We completed the Environmental Impact Report (EIA) and the Appropriate Assessment (PB) for the ministries of EZK, LNV, BZK and I&W. The studies examined the effect of a maximum of 1,560…
On 23rd December, 2020, the Council of State issued a decision on the environmental permit for Windpark Staphorst. The wind farm, developed by the Coöperatie Wij Duurzaam Staphorst, consists of three wind turbines. With Pondera’s support, the cooperative submitted a plan to the municipality of Staphorst in 2018 in response to the municipality’s call to…
On 23rd November, 2020, the Noordoostpolder Municipality granted the final permit for the Noordermeerdijk solar park in the Noordoostpolder. Pondera and HVC worked together to submit the application for this permit. The solar park covers approximately 50 hectares and has a potential installed capacity of approximately 100 megawatt peak. This solar park will be capable…
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) and the national operator of the high-voltage grid TenneT are working together on the offshore grid projects – IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta. These are two underground high-voltage connections for the transport of sustainable electricity from the IJmuiden far offshore wind energy area to the mainland. On…
Pondera is ISO-9001 certified! The certification of the quality management system of Pondera Consult took place on November 18, 2020, in accordance with the guidelines of NEN-EN-ISO 9001: 2015. Our ISO certification extends to research and advice in the field of sustainable energy, climate, spatial planning and the environment. This is how we ensure we…
The Pondera Team continues to grow. We are proud to welcome four new colleagues to our team. We are sure they will make a great contribution to our team. We would like to introduce our new colleagues: Mark Veenstra As a renewable energy consultant, Mark will primarily be involved in consent procedures and permit management…
Geothermal energy is considered by many to be the ‘new’ source of sustainable energy. Since the drilling of the first geothermal wells in 2007, this technique has become increasingly sophisticated. The adverse effects on the environment are limited, so this energy source can be used to great effect. Geothermal energy is therefore playing a major…
In order to be able to connect solar parks and wind farms in Overijssel to the electricity network, network operators Enexis and TenneT want to strengthen the existing electricity network. Transformer stations are being adapted and expanded at various locations. In the municipality of Enschede, various concrete solar park projects have been licensed or are…
The Kapelle municipal council adopted the zoning plans for Windpark Willem Annapolder and Windpark Landmanslust on 27 October 2020 with the municipal executive issuing the necessary permits. An environmental impact report has already been produced for this project and a recommendation from the EIA committee has been published. These decisions pave the way for the…
Every day our colleagues at Pondera work hard to take sustainable energy projects a step forward. People may not realise that Pondera is working hard to make the electricity grid sustainable and future-proof. What exactly do our Pondera colleagues do, what are we working on, and what functions do our colleagues hold in these energy…
The prototype of the GE Haliade-X turbine, the world’s most powerful wind turbine in operation, keeps breaking records. The turbine has been optimized and is now operating at a power output op 13 MW. In collaboration with Sif and Pondera, GE has built the prototype of the GE Haliade-X in the ports of Rotterdam. Several…
Our Korean team continues to expand: Hyunjoo Moon has joined the Pondera team in Seoul. He has extensive experience in conducting wind measurements on various wind turbines. Hyunjoo will be working as a renewable energy engineer at offshore wind farms. We trust Hyunjoo will make a great contribution to our team! Click here for more…
We proudly welcome Dr. Kim as a senior advisor in our Korean branch office in Seoul. We proudly welcome Dr. Kim as a senior advisor in our Korean branch office in Seoul. Dr. Kim has a broad experience in a wide range of workfields in both public and private companies. He has worked for the…
The Pondera team in Jakarta, led by Chandra Soemitro, recently installed the first LiDAR in Indonesia. Our colleague Maarten Graveland flew to Indonesia especially for the purpose of supporting the team in Jakarta with the installation of the LiDAR. In Maarten’s blog, you can see that this installation is slightly different than in the Netherlands.…
Pondera is supporting the Wind voor Buren project in carrying out its wind measurements. Wind voor Buren is a local initiative of the Kristen family, the Buren Energie cooperative and sustainable energy company Pure Energie. The plan is to place two wind turbines near the Buren junction (A1 / A35). One of the two intended…
The Pondera office in Jakarta (Indonesia), which opened in September 2018, will be reinforced with one of our Dutch colleagues. Brent Elemans will join the Pondera South East Asia office from October 1, 2020. Since 2016, Pondera has been exploring opportunities in Indonesia to contribute to the energy transition and to apply Dutch knowledge and…
On September 1st 2020, Pondera’s new branch office was launched in Seoul in Korea, one of the most targeted countries in renewable energy. The company will serve Korean clients as a consulting and investment company in the field of renewable energy with a focus on offshore wind energy projects. Pondera has provided the specialised European…
On 16th September, the Council of State issued its decision on the integration plan and permits for the Groen Wind Plan. As a result of the decision, the integration plan and the permits are irrevocable and the wind plan can be built. Pondera congratulates the initiators united in Windkoepel Groen on this result. This decision…
On the 7th of September 2020 the offshore construction works for Wind Farm Fryslân were started by driving the first of 89 foundation piles into the bottom of the IJsselmeer. This is an important milestone for this special project, which is expected to supply green energy for approximately 500,000 Dutch households by 2021. Unique working…
In the past (extra) spring SDE+ round, Pondera, on behalf of Windpark Agro-Wind Reusel B.V., submitted an application for the SDE+ operating subsidy. RVO recently decided to award the SDE+ subsidy to this project. This is the next step towards the realisation of this wind farm. Pondera congratulates Windpark Agro-Wind Reusel B.V. on the SDE+ decision!
Saba to explore feasibility of wind energy The Public Entity Saba, the Saba Electric Company (SEC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate are exploring ways to further expand the share of renewable energy. One of the options is wind energy. For this purpose, SEC has contracted Pondera to carry out a feasibility study.…
The CrossWind consortium, a joint venture between Shell in the Netherlands and Eneco, is delighted to have been awarded the tender for the subsidy-free offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (noord). Congrats to Shell and Eneco.
On 25 June 2020, the city council of the municipality of Delfzijl (re)established the zoning plan for the Delfzijl Zuid wind farm extension. Subsequently, on 30 June 2020, the Board of the Provincial Executive of the Province of Groningen granted an environmental permit on the basis of the General Provisions on Environmental Law (Wabo) for…
In collaboration with CE Delft, BRO and Pondera will carry out the integrated effects analysis (IEA) for the Energy Main Structure Program (PEH) under the EIA / RIP framework agreement. The effect analysis was commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
In June 2020, GE announced that the Haliade-X 12 MW received a provisional type certificate from DNV-GL. This makes it the most powerful turbine in the world, a step closer to full type certification. This is the ‘IECRE Provisional RNA Component Certificate’, which demonstrates that GE’s Haliade-X prototype meets the highest safety and quality standards.…
Playing a Canticle of the Sun to open a solar pv roof: very fitting. This happened on Friday 28 February in Spankeren at the packaging company Intrapec, although the sun barely showed itself.
On 17 February 2020, the City Council of Reusel-De Mierden decided to issue a declaration of no objection for the construction of Wind Farm Agro Wind. This paves the way for the Municipality Board to grant the definitive permit to the High Tech Agro Wind Association. This is a major step for the Association towards…
Pondera’s Haliade-X 12 MW prototype in Port of Rotterdam has just set a new world record! It is the first wind turbine ever to generate 288 MWh over the course of 24 hours. In the next 5 years, the Haliade-X prototype will undergo a series of tests to validate the turbine’s power curve, loads, grid…
