Cargill Accelerates Green Energy Transition in the Netherlands

Cargill and Vattenfall partner with Windpark Hanze in the Netherlands, who will build a wind farm that is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 350,000 metric tons a year, which is equivalent to providing electricity for more than 95,000 homes in the Netherlands per year once construction is complete.

The onshore wind farm, consisting of 15 wind turbines, will be commissioned in the Flevoland province near the city of Dronten. It will have a total installed capacity of 90 megawatts and will go into full commercial operation in 2023. Windpark Hanze has recently achieved financial close and civil works have already commenced.

Vattenfall will offtake the output of 78 megawatts from the planned onshore wind farm under a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Cargill will offtake 2.9 terawatthours from Vattenfall under a 10-year Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA). As a result, the renewable energy generated from 13 of the wind farm’s wind turbines will power more than 90% of Cargill’s grid based electrical consumption in the Netherlands.

“At Cargill, sustainability is a top priority, and through renewable energy projects like this unique partnership with Vattenfall and Windpark Hanze we continue to weave it into our global operations,” says Michiel Smets, EMEA Electricity lead at Cargill.

“This CPPA nearly eliminates the Scope 2 emissions from Cargill’s operations in the Netherlands and is a major step towards Cargill’s commitment to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 10% by 2025, against a 2017 baseline.”

The 10-year CPPA is Cargill’s largest physical renewable power purchase signed globally and the first Cargill has signed in Europe.

“Vattenfall is strongly committed to keep global warming limited to 1.5 degrees and recently increased its emission reduction targets," says Martijn Hagens, CEO Vattenfall Netherlands.

“The climate crisis is real, and we are striving to becoming a leader in this urgent transition. Partnering with Cargill and Windpark Hanze will not only help to decarbonize the Dutch industrial sector but will also support the buildout of renewable capacity, further increasing the share of green electricity in the Dutch energy mix. Partnerships like these accelerate the energy transition and bring closer our mission of making fossil-free living possible."

Windpark Hanze is a local initiative of 26 agricultural entrepreneurs, 180 local investors and the regional public water authority Waterschap Zuiderzeeland, and is part of Windplan Groen, a regional initiative that forms part of the regional energy strategy of the Flevoland province.

Windplan Groen consists of 11 planned onshore wind projects with a total capacity of 500 megawatts and an expected annual output of 1.9 terawatthours. The projects are all scheduled to be fully operational in 2023.

“As the original stewards of the land, farmers deeply understand the need to take care of it and other natural resources while securing a future for our companies and future generations," says Gerrit de Regt, director Windpark Hanze.