Port of Rotterdam plans floating solar park

The Slufter is a 250-hectare depot on the Maasvlakte River, where contaminated material is dumped that has been dredged from port basins and waterways next to the Port of Rotterdam.

The government and port authority have stored the material there since 1987. It cannot be dumped at sea because it is cont

aminated with all kinds of pollutants, such as PFAS (Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances), which include thousands of synthetic chemicals that have leached from paint, coatings, clothing and other products.

To make better use of the space at the depot, the port and Rijkswaterstaat (ministry of infrastructure and water management) have decided to rent out 80 hectares for 27 years to be used as a floating solar park, which could be the largest in Europe.

“Floating the solar panels in the dredging depot means no additional space is needed to generate renewable energy on this site,” says the port. “The extreme western location of the De Slufter depot makes it one of the sunniest spots in the Netherlands. The area has the potential to accommodate an installed capacity of around 128MW, making it the largest floating solar park in Europe.”

The Port of Rotterdam Authority will hold a market information day on November 27 for interested parties to kick off the tendering process, which is expected to officially start late this year or early next.