AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, June 20 (UPI) -- European energy company RWE said Thursday it was cleared to build a 90 megawatt wind farm in the western Netherlands.
RWE said it was moving forward with plans to install 12 wind turbines that have a design capacity of 7.5 megawatts each. The company said the onshore turbines are the largest of their kind.
The Zuidwester wind farm is part of a larger wind project dubbed Noordoostpolder, which will consist of 86 turbines with a combined capacity of 429 MW. The company said the entire project would generate enough electricity to meet the annual energy demands of 400,000 households.
RWE said Thursday construction on the Zuidwester wind farm should start next year. It was cleared for construction by a regional council.
Members of the European Union are called on to increase the amount of renewable energy on their grids by 20 percent by 2020, based on a 1990s benchmark level.
The Global Wind Energy Council estimates wind energy could have 1,000 gigawatts worth of installed capacity by 2020 and cut emissions by 9 billion tons per year with the right policies in place.
