What Ecowende does

Ecowende C.V. is a Dutch private joint venture, founded in 2022, owned by Shell, Eneco, and Chubu Electric Power (Chubu acquired a 30% stake from Eneco in Q1 2024). Its sole asset is the development and construction of the Hollandse Kust West Site VI offshore wind farm — a 760 MW installation comprising 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines, located approximately 53 km off the Dutch coast near IJmuiden, with commercial operation targeted for end of 2026.

The project's defining feature is an ecological-first design: 13+ technology and habitat innovations including taller hub heights on 75% of turbines, adaptive curtailment, bird deterrence and acoustic systems (Robin Radar MAX 3D, MUSE AI by DHI, FLORA 1 floating radar platform by MIDO/Wedge Global, TNO WT-Bird fibre-optic collision monitoring), noise-reducing pile installation (Vibrojet by GBM Works at 3 foundations), nature-inclusive scour protection (Van Oord), biodegradable tree reefs from discarded fruit trees, oyster hub network stimulation, Sabellaria reef stimulation, welded ICCP cathodic protection (OES Group), and the first ADLS in Dutch waters. All ecological data is captured in a Cognite Data Fusion-based Ecology Data Repository shared publicly via HUB Ocean's Ocean Data Platform following FAIR standards, with IUCN scientific oversight and a 10–20 year monitoring programme.

Revenue is generated exclusively by selling electricity generated by the 52 turbines into the Dutch national grid through TenneT's offshore connection, under a government tender-awarded 760 MW concession won in December 2022 and made irrevocable in May 2023. Ecowende is not a software or services company — its commercial model is regulated long-duration power generation, with a 15-year Vestas service and maintenance agreement covering the operational phase.

Name

Ecowende

Legal name

Ecowende C.V.

Website

https://ecowende.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ecowende is a Dutch Shell/Eneco/Chubu Electric Power joint venture developing the 760 MW Hollandse Kust West offshore wind farm off IJmuiden, delivering renewable electricity to the Dutch national grid and pioneering ecological-first design and open ecological data.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Offshore Wind Energy Generation

NAICS

Wind Electric Power Generation (221115)

akta.pro primary industry

Wind Farm Ownership & Operations (IPP/Utility-Owned Asset Operations) (EUACAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Offshore Wind Power Generation (Fixed-Bottom) (EUACAFAB), Wind Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (Scheduled/Unscheduled) (EUAMACAH), Wind Grid Interconnection & Power Systems (Transformers, Reactive Power, SCADA) (EUAMACAK)

Keywords

• Offshore wind energy
• Renewable power generation
• Wind farm development
• Ecological monitoring
• Biodiversity conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Netherlands

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Offshore Wind Energy Generation & Grid Supply: Ecowende generates electricity through 52 offshore wind turbines (760 MW capacity) and supplies renewable energy to the Dutch national grid. Revenue is derived from government-backed renewable energy offtake contracts awarded via the Hollandse Kust West tender. The project is not a product company; its revenue model is based on power generation and sale under long-term concession agreements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ecowende develops and operates the Hollandse Kust West offshore wind farm (Site VI), located 53 km off the Dutch coast near IJmuiden. The project comprises 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines delivering 760 MW of installed capacity, expected to supply approximately 3% of Dutch electricity demand when operational by end of 2026. The wind farm is purpose-built as an ecological-first design, integrating nature-inclusive innovations such as tree reefs, oyster hubs, ecological scour protection, bird/bat radar monitoring, silent pile-installation techniques, and a public Ecology Data Repository.

Product overview

Ecowende is developing the Hollandse Kust West offshore wind farm, a 760 MW project 53 km off the Dutch coast with 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines. The company positions itself as building 'the most ecological wind farm yet' through extensive ecological innovations including biodiversity monitoring systems (DHI MUSE AI, Robin Radar MAX, FLORA 1 floating platform, TNO WT-Bird), habitat enhancement technologies (Tree Reefs, Oyster Hubs, Ecological Scour Protection, Sabellaria Reef Stimulation), and bird protection systems (taller turbines, adaptive curtailment, deterrence). All ecological data is managed through the Cognite Data Fusion-powered Ecology Data Repository and shared publicly via HUB Ocean's Ocean Data Platform following FAIR standards. Installation technologies include GBM Works Vibrojet for silent foundation installation and reduced-footprint inter-array cables.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hollandse Kust West Offshore Wind Farm A 760 MW offshore wind farm located 53 km off the Dutch coast at IJmuiden, featuring 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW wind turbines supplying approximately 3% of Netherlands' electricity demand; built as an ecological-first design with nature-inclusive innovations. Electricity is supplied to the Dutch national grid via TenneT's offshore grid connection.
• Ecology Data Repository (EDR) Data management platform built on Cognite Data Fusion that collects, validates, and shares ecological data from numerous sensors (radars, cameras, telemetry, acoustic monitoring). First offshore wind developer to publicly share large-scale ecological data following FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) standards, made accessible via HUB Ocean's Ocean Data Platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 760 MW installed capacity, ~3% of Dutch electricity demand, 52 turbines producing up to 80 GWh/year each
• +5 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability5 records

Feature13 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OES GroupcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2026OES Group developed the market's first welded boat landing-mounted Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) system for Ecowende's wind farm. The 36-month collaboration eliminates bolted connections in high-load areas, improving structural robustness. The system uses less than 750g of MMO per system versus ~425 tonnes of sacrificial anodes in conventional designs, dramatically reducing material impact.
• Buss Ports (Buss Terminal Eemshaven)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Buss Ports provides wind turbine marshalling port services at Buss Terminal Eemshaven for Ecowende's Hollandse Kust West project. The terminal offers over 200,000 square metres of storage and handling capacity for turbine components — 52 sets of Vestas V236 turbines totalling more than 455 individual components and over 100,000 tons combined weight.
• HUB OceancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024HUB Ocean partners with Ecowende to make unprecedented amounts of ecology data publicly accessible through its Ocean Data Platform. HUB Ocean's deep understanding of ocean ecology data and commitment to international FAIR data standards ensures the EDR contributes to global scientific community. The partnership was announced at Ocean Data Action Day 2024 in Oslo.
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024IUCN provides guidance on biodiversity monitoring and impact mitigation through the Ecowende Biodiversity Advisory Team — an independent scientific advisory team of experts in marine ecology. IUCN's Deputy Director General confirmed the partnership, emphasising that the green energy transition should not come at the expense of the environment. IUCN will communicate findings to the UN and national governments.
• BirdLife NorwayminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024BirdLife Norway collaborated with Ecowende and Waardenburg Ecology on a GPS tagging study of Great Black-backed Gulls in Mandal, Norway. 25 GPS loggers were successfully deployed on the gulls, providing data on spatial and foraging ecology in the North Sea to inform collision risk mitigation measures.
• GBM WorkscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2024GBM Works provides its Vibrojet noise-reducing technology for the installation of three monopiles at Ecowende's wind farm. The vibrojet technique uses vibrations combined with water jets inside the monopile to reduce resistance, enabling faster, deeper and quieter installation compared to impact hammering. Ecowende also supports GBM Works in the SIMPLE III development project (TRL 7 testing).
• Robin Radar SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2024Robin Radar Systems provides its MAX 3D avian radar systems (four flagship radars, including the first-ever floating MAX on MIDO's FLORA 1 platform). The radars operate 24/7 to track and organise bird and bat flight data, supporting shutdown-on-demand (SDOD) and real-time strategic analysis.
• Van OordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Van Oord is Ecowende's marine contractor responsible for transporting and installing foundations (using the Boreas vessel), laying inter-array cables (via cable-laying vessel Nexus), installing scour protection, and transporting/installing wind turbines. Van Oord also collaborated on developing ecological scour protection designs, tree reefs, and oyster hubs. The Boreas operates on methanol and is the largest and most sustainable vessel of its kind.
• VestascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Vestas supplies 52 V236-15.0 MW wind turbines for the Hollandse Kust West wind farm and will maintain the wind farm for 15 years. Vestas supports ecological measures including increased hub heights and integration of bird curtailment, detection and deterrence systems into the turbine design.
• Sif HoldingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Sif manufactures all 52 extended monopile foundations (~70 kilotonnes total) for the wind farm. The monopiles are of transition piece-less design with two diameters (8.8m and 9.3m). Sif also provides secondary steel components (boat landings, ladders, access platforms). Ecowende participated in Sif's factory expansion financing through an Advance Factory Payment.
• Waardenburg EcologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Waardenburg Ecology, the largest ecological consultancy in the Netherlands with over 45 years of North Sea knowledge, developed and is executing the most extensive ecological programme to date for an offshore wind farm. Scope includes bird, bat, harbour porpoise, and fish/benthic monitoring and research over 10–20 years, in partnership with WMR, WaterProof, and SEAMARCO.
• CognitecoreTechnology or IntegrationCognite provides its Cognite Data Fusion platform as the backbone of Ecowende's Ecology Data Repository (EDR), enabling integration and contextualisation of ecological data from various sources. Cognite Atlas AI is used to accelerate efficiencies and drive business impact.
• MIDO / Wedge GlobalcoreTechnology or IntegrationMIDO, an arm of Wedge Global, co-develops FLORA 1 — an innovative, self-powered floating radar station for offshore bird tracking. MIDO's wave energy technology enables autonomous operation of the floating platform, which carries Robin Radar's MAX avian radar. The FLORA 1 platform has a 10 km radar scanning radius and enables T Zero baseline bird migration measurements.
• DHI A/ScoreTechnology or IntegrationDHI provides its MUSE AI system integrating radars, digital cameras and acoustic sensors to automatically identify bird and bat species and send curtailment signals to turbines. DHI also performs sensor integration and AI species recognition (including night-time bat discrimination using thermal cameras). DHI biologists collected field data on bat and bird movements to train the MUSE AI for offshore conditions.
• TenneTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTenneT operates the offshore grid connection for Ecowende's wind farm. The offshore high-voltage substation connects Ecowende's wind farm to TenneT's offshore grid, bringing Ecowende's green electricity ashore.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTNO delivers 12 WT-Bird collision monitoring systems to Ecowende. WT-Bird uses fibre optic vibration sensors, advanced impact classification algorithms, and AI image processing for real-time bird and bat collision detection. TNO has been developing bird collision monitoring systems since 2002. The system detects small species (8–40g) often missed by camera systems alone.
• 24SEAminorOthersListed as an Ecowende partner on the company website. Details of the partnership scope are not specified in the available source material.
• Blijdorp (Diergaarde Blijdorp)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlijdorp collaborated with Ecowende to create the 'Living with Wind Parks' interactive exhibit at the Oceanium, educating the public about wind energy and North Sea biodiversity. Opened in July 2025. The exhibit includes wind turbine base models with holes serving as marine shelters, repurposed fruit tree 'reefs', and an interactive radar game for visitors.
• WaterProof Marine Consultancy & ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterProof, together with partners, set up the underwater research programme for Ecowende, including monitoring of underwater sound, electromagnetic fields, currents, sand waves, and marine mammals. WaterProof deploys a PAM (Passive Acoustic Monitoring) network of 14 bottom frames and an unmanned surface vessel for dynamic ecological monitoring. WaterProof also develops models for electromagnetic field mapping.
• DHIcoreTechnology or IntegrationDHI is listed as an Ecowende partner. DHI's MUSE AI system is integrated into Ecowende's bird and bat monitoring framework, and DHI biologists filmed bats and birds at night in Denmark's bat hotspots to train the MUSE AI for offshore conditions.
• TKFcoreTechnology or IntegrationTKF supplied inter-array cables for Ecowende's Hollandse Kust West wind farm. TKF loaded out the final batch of inter-array cables with reduced environmental footprint — cables contain no lead or bitumen — aligning with Ecowende's ambition to build the most ecological wind farm yet.
• Proeon SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationProeon Systems is responsible for engineering design, supply, installation and integration of electrical control systems in the offshore high voltage substation for Hollandse Kust West. Proeon delivers the Wind Park Operator (WPO) network including power distribution, metering, and ecology systems, using the latest in secure digital technology and industrial best practices. Assembly and testing takes place in Norwich, UK.
• NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIOZ developed the Tree Reefs concept, tested in a pilot in the Wadden Sea. NIOZ's pilot showed that complex fruit tree structures can offer marine life a highly valuable habitat. The tree reefs are a key innovation for Ecowende's biodiversity-boosting programme, bringing back a habitat type (dead wood) previously lost in the North Sea.
• SEAMARCOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEAMARCO (partnered with Waardenburg Ecology) conducted research on species-specific sensitivity to temporary hearing loss in marine mammals and recovery of hearing threshold shifts in seals, harbour porpoises, and sea lions, as part of Ecowende's underwater research programme.
• Van Oord Ocean HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVan Oord Ocean Health implements Tree Reefs and Oyster Hubs at Ecowende's wind farm as part of the biodiversity enhancement programme. Van Oord Ocean Health, launched in 2020, focuses on stimulating marine biodiversity and restoring marine ecosystems including coral reefs, mangroves, shellfish reefs, and seaweed farming.
• Wageningen University and ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWageningen University and Research leads the North Sea POWER consortium, which received over EUR 5 million in NWA funding to investigate ecological impacts of offshore wind farms in the Dutch North Sea over six years. The research examines effects on birds, bats, water flows, and biomass flows, bringing together multiple research institutions and industry partners.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CrossWind: A Shell-Eneco joint venture developing the neighbouring Hollandse Kust West Sites VII wind farm. Same shareholders as Ecowende, same concession programme, same developer playbook in the same Dutch waters — the most direct comparable project and JV structure.
• Vattenfall: Swedish state-owned utility that developed Hollandse Kust Zuid (the first subsidy-free offshore wind farm) in Dutch waters. Directly comparable as a European utility developing offshore wind farms in the Netherlands under similar concession frameworks.
• EnBW: German utility actively developing offshore wind in the North Sea (e.g., He Dreiht). Comparable as a European utility developing fixed-bottom offshore wind projects with similar turbine sizes and grid-connected offtake structures.
• Parkwind: Belgian offshore wind developer (now majority-owned by JERA) with operating assets in the Belgian North Sea and a development pipeline. Comparable as a focused European offshore wind developer with mid-sized utility-scale projects.
• Northland Power: Canadian developer with a meaningful offshore wind portfolio in Europe (e.g., Deutsche Bucht, Nordseecluster) and global pipeline. Comparable as a developer-operator focused on offshore wind, with European asset exposure comparable to Ecowende.

Broad incumbents

• Ørsted: The global leader in offshore wind development and operations with a multi-GW portfolio. Comparable as a large-scale offshore wind owner/operator, though materially larger and more diversified across geographies and asset vintages.
• RWE: German utility with a growing offshore wind portfolio across Europe. Comparable as a European utility developing and operating utility-scale offshore wind assets, though its portfolio also spans onshore wind, solar, and conventional generation.
• Equinor: Norwegian energy major with a significant offshore wind pipeline (e.g., Dogger Bank, Empire Wind). Comparable as a major energy company investing in offshore wind at utility scale, though still predominantly an upstream oil and gas operator.
• Iberdrola (Avangrid): Spanish utility with offshore wind exposure via Avangrid (Vineyard Wind, Park City) and European operations. Comparable as a global utility with utility-scale offshore wind ambitions, though portfolio is geographically diversified beyond Europe.

Emerging players

• Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP): Asset manager developing large-scale offshore wind through funds (e.g., Energy Transition Fund). Comparable as a financial sponsor-led developer building offshore wind at scale in European waters, though operating via fund vehicles rather than a single JV.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecowende

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ecowende