The Netherlands is a pioneer in including nature enhancement stipulations in offshore (wind) energy tenders. The Dutch event for the international offshore energy and maritime industries, Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC), has also given nature enhancement a prime spot in this year’s edition, including it more prominently in the conference programme and on the exhibition floor. 

In this article:

• Ørsted, The Rich North Sea, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature to talk nature enhancement
• Ecowende and Waardenburg Ecology among exhibitors at Nature Enhancement Pavilion

Solutions and discussions on protecting and boosting biodiversity, primarily at sea but also on land, have already been part of the OEEC conference and sessions at The Stage. This year, the event’s organiser Navingo has put a greater focus on nature enhancement.

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As the Dutch Government continues to incorporate these requirements in the tendering procedures, the offshore energy industries are also increasingly working on bringing nature-inclusive and nature-enhancing aspects into project designs, with not only project owners and developers involved but the entire supply chain.

On the first day of the OEEC 2024 conference, Jeroen Vis from the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature will introduce a new programme^[1], Nature Regeneration North Sea, a public-private partnership whose aim is creating a more resilient and richer North Sea, with enough space for sustainable use. (Conference Area, Hall 2, 26 November, 15:30 – 16:15.)

Want to visit our Nature Enhancement pavilion and attend nature enhancement sessions? Get OEEC 2024 tickets on the Tickets page^[2]!

Back in 2022, Marjolein Kelder, Senior Project Manager at The Rich North Sea programme in the Netherlands, stressed that the North Sea had not seen a quiet moment for decades as activities offshore are numerous, from fishing and oil and gas exploitation to marine traffic activities.

Kelder then said that achieving no negative impact was no longer enough. “We need to strive towards achieving a positive impact. To achieve these positive impacts, you can take either passive or active nature enhancement measures.”^[3]

Last year, Marjolein Kelder represented The Rich North Sea at the panel session Offshore energy: Business for the better, which also discussed nature enhancement goals in the context of net-zero targets.

At OEEC 2024, Ørsted’s Senior Marine Ecology Specialist, Karin Bilo, is joining Marjolein Kelder at The Stage to look back on the five years of the Rich North Sea programme in which Ørsted is one of the partners. (The Stage, 26 November, 11:00 – 11:25.)

Right after this session, Dutch independent environmental organisation Natuur & Milieu will present North Sea Vision 2040, created by Natuur & Milieu in cooperation with the North Sea Foundation, WWF and Birdlife the Netherlands. (The Stage, 26 November, 11:30 – 11:55.)

On the exhibition floor, OEEC 2024 has an entire pavilion dedicated to nature enhancement in Hall 2.

At the pavilion, event attendees can learn more about environmental sustainability and solutions in biodiversity protection and enhancement from leading names in the industry such as Ecowende, the developer of the 760 MW offshore wind farm at the Hollandse Kust West VI site.

Ecowende, owned by Shell, Chubu Electric Power and Eneco, plans to build the wind farm “in harmony with nature, with minimal impact on birds, bats, and marine mammals”.

In 2023, the developer partnered with Waardenburg Ecology, the largest ecological consultancy firm in the Netherlands, to design a comprehensive ecological programme for the offshore wind farm. Waardenburg Ecology will also be at the Nature Enhancement pavilion.

Van Oord, the offshore construction company contracted to build the offshore wind farm^[4], will also be one of the OEEC 2024 exhibitors.

To check out the entire programme at Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference 2024, visit the Program page^[5] on the OEEC.biz website. Go to the Floor Plan page^[6] to see who is exhibiting.

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