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 offset the ecological impacts of wind farms, both onshore and offshore. We were particularly interested in the possibilities of measuring and minimizing ecological effects, so we can advise our customers on this topic.
We attended some interesting keynote talks, sessions and workshops from experts all across the globe sharing their knowledge on the impact and opportunities of wind energy on wildlife. And as sponsor of CWW2022, we had the pleasure of organizing an excursion to #Maasvlakte2 on Wednesday. Maasvlakte 2 is the newest development at the Rotterdam port, which was reclaimed from the sea around 2010. It is also the residence of one the world’s largest and most powerful wind turbines, GE’s Haliade-X (14 MW, 220 m rotor). Last, it is the site of Wind Farm Maasvlakte 2, in which the latest technologies on reducing impact on (offshore) bird species are being deployed, tested and refined.
At Maasvlakte, we first embarked on a boat to cross the Port of Rotterdam, the busiest harbor in the world. Despite the stormy conditions, we were able to see the Maasvlakte very well. We saw the largest construction vessel in the world, the Pioneering Spirit, and even spotted some seals! Back on shore at Futureland, Paul Janssen, our deputy director, together with Jonne Kleyheeg-Hartman from Bureau Waardenburg and Daniël Hoffmann from Eneco, gave an insightful presentation on the development of wind farm Maasvlakte 2 and the point where ecology meets technology.
We thank Jonne Kleyheeg-Hartman and and Daniël Hoffmann for their valuable contribution and Bureau Waardenburg for organizing such an interesting event!
