Kurzeme Delegation Studies Dutch Offshore Wind Experience Ahead of Latvia-Estonia ELWIND Project
Representatives of Kurzeme municipalities, fishermen and businesses visited the Netherlands in October to learn about offshore wind development. The lessons are meant to inform ELWIND, the joint Latvian-Estonian wind park project in the Baltic Sea.
From 5 to 7 October, representatives of municipalities, planning regions, non-governmental organisations, fishermen and businesses from Kurzeme, Latvia's western region, took part in a study trip to the Netherlands. The aim was to see how offshore wind farms affect coastal economies and how local communities are involved in such projects. The findings may help ELWIND, a joint Latvian-Estonian plan to build wind parks in the Baltic Sea.
The trip was organised by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) together with the Dutch embassy in Latvia and Linked by Offshore Wind, a network of Dutch offshore wind companies and technology experts. Participants visited the Windpark Fryslân wind farm, the Súdwest-Fryslân municipality, the port of Eemshaven and the TKF cable factory.
What they saw in the Netherlands
Windpark Fryslân is located in the IJsselmeer lake in the province of Friesland. To limit the effect on the landscape, the turbines are arranged in a hexagon, while radar-controlled warning lights switch on only when an aircraft approaches. Municipal representatives stressed that residents should be involved from the very start of a project. A community fund has also been created, financing local initiatives such as the restoration of a historic shipyard or energy-efficiency upgrades at a sports club.
Eemshaven is an important service hub for offshore wind farms in the North Sea region, and the industry has created demand there for logistics, accommodation, catering and other services. Anete Jansone, project manager at the Kurzeme Planning Region, said this is especially relevant for Liepāja and Ventspils in Latvia, but that the benefits are not automatic and depend on local companies being ready.
Jānis Kisiels, board member of NorSAF, a company planning sustainable aviation fuel production in Liepāja, noted that such a plant needs a large amount of renewable electricity.
About ELWIND
ELWIND is a cross-border Latvian-Estonian project with a combined capacity of up to 2 GW. Environmental and technical studies are under way. An auction transferring development rights to a qualified developer is planned for 2029, and the wind parks are tentatively due to start operating in 2035. The project is run by LIAA and the Environmental Investment Centre of Estonia in cooperation with the ministries of both countries.
Jānis Ločmelis, head of the ELWIND unit at LIAA, stressed that Dutch solutions must be assessed in light of Latvia's coastal conditions and the results of environmental studies.
