Wind power

Shell's involvement in offshore wind

Shell entered the offshore wind business in 2000 as part of a consortium that installed the first offshore wind turbine in UK waters. Offshore wind is once again a key growth area for Shell. Today, we have more than six gigawatts (GW) of wind projects either in our portfolio or in the development. We see great potential in offshore wind as one of the main ways to generate cleaner power for our customers.

Shell's offshore wind projects include:

CrossWind (in development)

In July 2020 Shell and Eneco were awarded the tender for the subsidy-free offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (noord). The 759 megawatt (MW) wind farm will help to meet the objectives of the Dutch Climate Agreement and the European Union’s Green Deal. Both companies have already taken their final investment decisions on the project. Shell is a 79.9% shareholder in the consortium.

Blauwwind (in development)

Shell is also a 20% shareholder in the Blauwwind Consortium that has built and will operate the Borssele 3&4 wind farm off the Dutch coast, with a total installed capacity of 731.5MW, enough to power around 825,000 Dutch homes. First power was achieved in August 2020 and the wind farm is planned to be fully operational by early 2021.

NoordzeeWind (operational)

The Egmond aan Zee wind farm off the Dutch coast is a 50-50 joint venture between European utility company Nuon and Shell. It was the first wind farm over 100MW to be built in the Dutch North Sea and comprises 36 wind turbines that produce enough renewable electricity for more than 100,000 Dutch households.

Offshore US (in development)

Shell is a 50% shareholder in Atlantic Shores in New Jersey that is working to develop an offshore lease area capable of generating 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of power.

Shell is also a 50% shareholder in the Mayflower consortium, which is working to develop a lease area off the coast of Massachusetts, USA. That site will have the potential to generate 1.6GW of power that will power more than 680,000 US homes. In 2019, the Mayflower Wind project was chosen to supply 804MW of offshore wind capacity to Massachusetts, with the expected start-up in 2025.

Floating and kite wind

Shell is also investing in the next generation of wind technology. We are a major shareholder in the Tetraspar Demo - a new floating turbine foundation, that offers leaner manufacturing, assembly and installation leading to lower costs. In 2020 we have made great progress with fabrication, construction and assembly. The structure will be tested in Norwegian waters in 2021.

In 2019 we partnered with Makani, an independent company within Alphabet, to bring their airborne wind power system to offshore environments which resulted in the world’s first flight of an energy kite from a floating platform. In 2020 this project concluded, and the lessons learnt were shared with the world as part of the energy kite collection.

Shell acquired Eolfi in 2019, a French renewable energies developer specialising in floating offshore wind projects. Alongside the addition of floating wind expertise to the team, the acquisition added the Groix & Belle-Île pilot wind farm to our portfolio, which is being developed off the coast of Brittany with an expected installed capacity of 28.5 megawatts once complete.

Shell has a joint development agreement with floating wind specialist CoensHexicon for a project in Ulsan province, Korea. In 2020 we deployed a FLiDAR (floating light detection and ranging) system to assess the feasibility for floating wind in South Korea.

Shell's involvement in onshore wind

Shell first invested in US onshore wind in 2001. Today we have four operating wind farms onshore in the USA. These are:

Rock River (Wyoming)

Shell has been delivering renewable wind power from the Rock River windfarm in Wyoming, USA, since 2001. Rock River, which Shell co-owns with US renewables company, Terra-Gen, produces enough electricity to power 25,000 US homes.

Brazos (Texas)

The Brazos windfarm in Fluvanna, Texas, sits south east of Lubbock, on the Caprock of the Llano Estacado and is fully operated by Shell. The 160-megawatt site consists of 160 Mitsubishi turbines and can provide enough energy to power around 48,000 US homes.

Whitewater Hill (California)

Shell co-owns Whitewater Hill with US renewables company Terra-Gen. The 61.5-megawatt wind farm, located north-west of Palm Springs, California, has more than 1,400 turbines and generates over 520 megawatts. Each year, the project is estimated to produce enough energy to power around 12,000 US homes.

Cabazon (California)

Cabazon is also co-owned with Terra-Gen and features 62 turbines that can produce 660 kilowatts. The 41-megawatt wind farm is located in the San Gorgonio Pass west of Palm Springs, California. Each year, the project is estimated to produce enough electricity to power around 12,000 US homes.