Accelerating the energy transition
The wind farmThe wind farm Hollandse Kust Noord
CrossWind, a joint-venture between Shell and Eneco, has developed and operates the Hollandse Kust Noord subsidy-free offshore wind project.
Where ambition meets the North Sea, we engineer the future of energy.
In the restless hum of offshore wind, where steel meets sea and ambition hangs in the salt heavy air, CrossWind is the owner and operator of the Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm, a 759 MW of installed generation capacity in the Dutch North Sea, developed and realized in 2023 and operated through an 80/20 joint venture between Shell and Eneco. At HKN we don't announce the future; we deliver it, with the prove that a nation's energy system can be engineered, not only imagined, into existence.
An intelligent wind farm
The wind doesn’t always blow consistently. So how can a wind farm provide electricity when there is little wind? CrossWind and its partners are exploring five different innovations designed to address these challenges. Through these innovations, an offshore wind farm could be capable of providing more constant electricity regardless of the wind conditions.
Intelligent wind turbines
Addressing the wake effect
Offshore solar
Storing energy
Research & integration
Renewable Energy Power Generation
Frequently Asked Questions
CrossWind installed 69 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 11 MW. Most of these wind turbines are more than 1 km apart.
The Dutch government determined that Hollandse Kust Noord should have a maximum of 100 wind turbines with a maximum tip height of 251 metres above sea level and a minimum capacity of 6MW. CrossWind has built larger, powerful wind turbines that resulted in 69 turbines that generates the same amount of power. This increased the efficiency of the wind park reduced costs and saved impact on nature.
CrossWind installed a capacity of 759 MW. This equates to a production of at least 3.3 TWh per year. This annual energy production will fulfil some 2.8% of the electricity demand in the Netherlands and is equivalent to the energy consumption of approximately 1 million households.
The wind farm will affect the habitat of birds, bats, fish and marine mammals. That is why we adhere to the HKN Permit requirements and the Wind Farm Site Decree. We applied measures for birds and bats to limit any adverse effects, such as shutting down the wind turbines under certain circumstances.
News
Offshore Solar Project Completed
In the summer of 2025, Oceans of Energy and CrossWind installed a large floating offshore solar system in the Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm. The system, consisting of approximately 1,400 solar panels, was one of CrossWind's innovation projects at the wind farm, aimed at exploring whether power generation is also possible during periods with little or no wind.
Hydrogen milestone for the Netherlands
With the arrival of the BaseLoad Power Hub in Eemshaven harbour, in the northeast of the Netherlands, a new milestone has been reached for the Dutch energy transition and the development of the regional Groningen Hydrogen Valley. The innovative installation is the first platform for hydrogen production and storage designed and built for offshore conditions. On October 3, CrossWind—a joint venture of Shell and Eneco—handed over the platform to its new owner DOT for further research into hydrogen production.
