BP joins race for both offshore wind sites in Dutch HKW zone

BP Plc (LON:BP) has launched two bids for each site of the 1.4-GW Hollandse Kust West (HKW) offshore wind farm zone in Dutch waters, gearing for massive electricity and green hydrogen production.

The oil-and-gas multinational said on Thursday it will bid for sites VI and VII of the HKW zone, located around 53 km (33 miles) off the west coast of the Netherlands. The total area of 176 sq km is being auctioned in two separate tenders of 700 MW each.

Proposals for site VI will be assessed based on eco-innovation criteria. For this area, BP is offering innovations worth close to EUR 75 million (USD 79m) to create a positive impact on the marine habitat and support the Dutch North Sea ecosystem. The group’s proposal for the other site envisages coupling offshore wind turbine generation with 500 MW of electrolysers to produce roughly 50,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually for the company’s Rotterdam refinery. The process will secure the production of 10,000 barrels of sustainable aviation fuel daily.

BP estimates its decarbonisation commitments will result in investments of up to EUR 2 billion, in addition to the offshore wind investment. The company’s plan also includes the installation of an electric-powered boiler and superheater at its Rotterdam refinery, utility-scale batteries, electric vehicle charging stations and low carbon multi-energy logistics hubs.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.053)

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