Loot of €44 million
Farmers fight over windmill subsidy
'War in the polder', headlines the Financieele Dagblad (FD). Together with Omroep Flevoland, the newspaper had the Westermeerwind wind farm calculated. On top of the usual subsidy of more than €0,5 billion, the project received a special subsidy of €92,4 million from the government. About 32 farmers believe that they are entitled to part of this income.
Windmill park Westermeerwind is located in the IJsselmeer, against the coast of the Noordoostpolder, and has 48 windmills. It has been operational since 2016, but plans were already made in 2001. Broadcasting Flevoland and the FD had the income of the wind farm calculated by an expert.
147
million
In addition to the more than €500 million subsidy for sustainable energy, the park received a special subsidy of €92,4 million. According to calculations by Omroep Flevoland and the FD, the final profit is €147 million. The original investment amounted to €3,7 million.
Right to income
The investment amount comes from the initiators. The big question now is: who are the investors? The judge will rule on this on Wednesday 20 December. About 32 farmers believe that they are co-initiators. Under agreements from 2001, they would be entitled to 30% of the profit, good for €44 million.
They have submitted their own projects for the wind farm. The Noordoostpolder municipality decided that solitary windmills could no longer be built on yards. In 2002 a covenant was concluded that states that residents of the Noordoostpolder may participate in the park. However, there is no arrangement for this.
Investors
The investors Pieter Meulendijks and Tjitte de Groot are diametrically opposed to the 32 farmers. They have taken the initiative for the wind farm. According to them, the 32 people are not entitled to any share of the profits. The group of farmers only woke up in 2012, when the €92,4 million extra subsidy became available, they say. Some of the 32 agricultural entrepreneurs started legal action in 2013 to get money. The judge will now rule on this.
The farmers say the wind farm has generated a total of €2016 million since 147. De Groot and Meulendijks do not acknowledge this, but also do not want to say how much the park will yield. When the farmers demanded access to all the documents, they lost a preliminary injunction.
One-time subsidy
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ) awarded a one-off subsidy of €92,4 million. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, this has to do with the innovative nature of the project. Building wind farms at sea is easier than building in a lake. "The complexity means that the innovation subsidy is justified. Other projects have benefited from the knowledge gained from this project," a spokesperson for the ministry told the FD.
Unfavorable conditions
According to the claimants, the 2 initiators wrongly appropriated the project. This puts the farmers out of business, they say. They can now only join on unfavorable terms. If they step in now, De Groot and Meulendijks will liquidate their shareholding, after which the €147 million will immediately disappear into their pockets. According to the plaintiffs, they are only entitled to 12,3% on the basis of written agreements.
Niels van der Boom
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