ASML Returns to RWE for More Offshore Wind Power

RWE and ASML, the global supplier of lithography systems for the semiconductor industry, have entered a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), following a ten-year PPA that the two companies signed in 2021.

The initial agreement is now being expanded to cover around 130 MW of installed renewable capacity and extended until 2038, and includes power supply from one more of RWE’s offshore wind farms.

In 2021, ASML inked a PPA for more than 250 GWh of green electricity per year from RWE, a portion of which was sourced from the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm in the Belgian North Sea, with the rest supplied by two RWE onshore wind farms and one solar plant in the Netherlands.

Under the new PPA, ASML will offtake additional power from the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm, as well as from RWE’s Dutch wind energy fleet, including the new OranjeWind offshore wind farm and four onshore wind farms. The agreement was structured with the support of the Dutch consultancy firm Energie Makelaar BV, RWE said on 2 April.

ASML will use this power for its facilities in the Netherlands, according to RWE.

“Increased digitalisation is significantly boosting the need for electricity. Large-scale offshore projects like OranjeWind enable us to meet this demand, deliver more carbon-free electricity reliably to the grid, and contribute to a robust and resilient energy system. We already supply numerous leading technology companies in Europe and the US with the energy they need to power innovation”, said Ulf Kerstin, Chief Commercial Officer at RWE Supply & Trading.

The 219 MW Northwester 2, located 51 kilometres from shore in the Belgian North Sea, has been operational since 2020 and is owned by Parkwind. The project owner signed a long-term PPA with RWE in 2019, under which RWE Supply & Trading procures the full electricity production from Northwester 2 and sells the electricity and guarantees-of-origin to its large industrial and municipal customers.

The 795 MW OranjeWind offshore wind farm in the Netherlands is owned by a joint venture between RWE and TotalEnergies.

The new Dutch offshore wind farm, located about 53 kilometres off the coast of Ijmuiden, is set to enter offshore construction this year, with full commissioning expected by early 2028.