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19 April 2007 - The Netherlands has inaugurated Nuon's $271m offshore wind power project in the North Sea that will provide enough power to light 100 000 homes.
The wind farm combines 36 turbines capable of producing 108 MWh, another step toward the Dutch goal of generating 9 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010.
The project, jointly owned by Royal Dutch Shell PLC and the Dutch utility company Nuon NV, was supported by a package of direct aid, tax breaks and production subsidies.
Though more expensive than land-based wind farms, the offshore project at Egmond aan Zee, 22 miles northeast of Amsterdam, was meant to satisfy objections that the towering windmills are a blot on the landscape. It also takes advantage of stronger, steadier coastal breezes.
The Dutch government has mapped out sites for 65 wind farms in the North Sea during ten years of consensus-seeking planning. The chosen places are in shallow waters, far enough from shore to be unobtrusive and to reduce the risk of catching birds in their blades.
Similar sized projects are planned for Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and the United States.
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