The Windpark Zeewolde windfarm is a 322 MW repowering project located near the city of Almere in the central Netherlands. Recognized as the largest onshore wind farm in the country and the largest community-owned wind project in Europe, the development replaces over 200 older turbines with 83 advanced Vestas turbines, generating almost three times more energy. Financed by Rabobank and strongly backed by community shareholders, construction of the substation and infrastructure commenced in late 2019. With a target completion in 2022, the facility will produce enough clean electricity to supply more than 250,000 households, with its output contracted under a power purchase agreement with Swedish state-owned utility Vattenfall AB.

This successful domestic energy model is now being scaled at sea, as the Netherlands has set aside approximately €3.9 billion for the IJmuiden Ver Gamma offshore wind project, with a dedicated 1 GW tender for the Gamma-A site scheduled to open in September 2026. This decisive return to subsidized procurement—marking a major shift in Dutch energy policy—arrives alongside France’s simultaneous launch of a massive 10 GW offshore wind tender. These parallel moves represent a coordinated European response to the energy security shocks of early 2026, transitioning offshore wind from a climate policy instrument into a critical pillar of national industrial security.

Project Overview

Type: Onshore wind farm (Repowering project)

Location: Near Almere, central Netherlands

Total Capacity: 322 MW

Equipment: 83 Vestas wind turbines

Energy Generation: Capable of powering over 250,000 households

Construction Start: October 2019 (substation and infrastructure)

Target Completion: 2022

Offtaker: Vattenfall AB (under a Power Purchase Agreement)

Distinctive Feature: Europe’s largest community-owned wind farm, with over 90 percent of the nearby community supporting the project as shareholders.

Project Team

Developer/Owner: Windpark Zeewolde BV

Turbine Supplier: Vestas

Financing Partner: Rabobank

Lender’s Technical Advisor: Mott MacDonald

Offtaker (PPA): Vattenfall AB

Published 6th August 2020: The Netherlands has begun construction of the 322MW Windpark Zeewolde windfarm. This will be the largest onshore wind farm in the Netherlands and the largest community-owned wind farm in Europe and is headed by Mott MacDonald, the lender’s technical advisor on the project. The project is going to be located near the city of Almere and will involve the construction of 83 new Vestas turbines to replace more than 200 existing wind turbines in the same area. This will result in the generation of almost three times more energy with half the number of turbines.

Also Read: RWE selects GE consortium to supply its 1.4GW Sofia offshore wind farm project.

The project is expected to be completed by 2022 and equipment deliveries for the project are scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2021. Once online, the Windpark Zeewolde windfarm in the central Netherlands will be capable of producing electricity for more than 250,000 households. Its output is contracted under a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Swedish state-owned utility Vattenfall AB. “We are convinced that we have signed strong partners with Vestas and Rabobank with whom we can now carry out the construction of wind farms quickly and efficiently,” says Sjoerd Sieburgh Sjoerdsma, Managing Director Windpark Zeewolde BV. “In October 2019 we already started with the construction of the substation and the infrastructure of the wind farm. This was based on funding from our community that shows the trust and entrepreneurial spirit of our community. Now with Vestas and Rabobank we can start the construction of the turbines ”.

“I am excited that our new client Windpark Zeewolde BV has chosen Vestas as a partner for such a unique wind energy project in my home country. It is a great step for the supply of renewable energy in the region and, together with our partners We hope to reactivate the largest community wind farm in Europe, which is also the largest onshore wind project in the Netherlands, “says Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern and Central Europe.” Leveraging customized wind power solutions with the Lower leveled energy cost, this repowering project, which more than 90 percent of the nearby community supports as shareholders, will almost triple annual energy production. “