The fourteen wind turbines that are part of Energy Park Pottendijk will generate an amount of approximately 1.1 million euros for the immediate residents. Owner Shell plans to set aside fifty cents per megawatt produced for the fund over the next 16 years (the duration of the wind farm). It is estimated that this yields an amount of 70,000 euros per year.
At the end of last year, the construction of Energiepark Pottendijk, which will consist of 14 wind turbines (tip height (149 meters)) and 35.5 hectares of solar park (90,000 panels), initially led the farmer Jeroen Deddens, but sold the park to Shell at the end of 2020. .
Initially, twenty percent of the solar farm would be made available to the immediate environment with the aim of funding social and energy-saving goals. But it has been decided to buy off this scheme with an amount of 9.5 tons. Deddens is the one who pays the lump sum. Both amounts (9.5 tons and 1.1 million) will be placed in a solar and wind fund.
At the end of August and the beginning of September, the municipality of Emmen will hold two more meetings for local residents who live up to two kilometers around Pottendijk. What will be done with the money is then discussed. An organization must also be established that will manage the money and assess applications for subsidy.
The devised construction previously provoked dissatisfaction with the boards of the six villages (jointly united in the De Monden platform) around the energy park. The village administrators want the money to be fully invested in the quality of life in the area. The municipality is aiming for a subsidy scheme that allows homeowners to make their homes more sustainable.
The two-kilometre circle that has been drawn around Pottendijk is also against the sore leg. This means that not all villages in the area can benefit. According to a Shell spokesperson, it is possible to deviate from this with good substantiation. More will be announced later this month.
The construction of the energy park is progressing steadily. According to Shell manager Ernst de Wiljes, ten of the fourteen turbines have now been installed. A third of the 90,000 solar panels are also in place.
He expects both jobs to be completed in the second half of September. It will then take some time before the park is put into operation. That is planned for the spring of 2023.