Netherlands' largest wind farm opens today

The largest wind farm on land in the Netherlands officially opens in Wieringermeer on Wednesday. "We are proud that we can open the biggest park this afternoon. We're building a total of 82 wind turbines that can generate power for around 370,000 homes," Ruben Lindenburg of energy company Vattenfall said to NH Nieuws.

81 wind turbines have already been installed, the 82nd will be built next year. Some of the windmills are already running. "Because it is such a large project, not everything is done at once. We now have about 60 windmills in full operation. They are all on the net. We are now entering the phase of testing and seeing if they are going well. And then they will be fully operational," Lindenburg said. 

The official opening is at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. Due to the coronavirus crisis, the opening will be mainly on line and can be followed here. 

The arrival of the wind farm caused a lot of grumbling in Wieringereer about the change in the landscape. "We know the criticism and I understand it too," Lindenburg said to the broadcaster. "If you see what we have built in a relatively short time, then I understand that people have to get used to it. At the same time, our company's mission is to live fossil-free in one generation and this fits very well with that."

The nighttime landscape now also looks a lot different - red lights shine from the turbines at night. "I was in the area last night and it is quite striking. I understand that people have to get used to that too. But we have to adhere to the rules for aviation safety. That's why those lights are on."