Working visit to Wind Farm Bovenwind

The Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland organised a working visit to Windpark Bovenwind on 28. Specially organised for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, policy officers from 12 provinces and organisations such as NPRES and RIVM. Province of Overijssel acted as guest province.

This annual field trip attracted attention from across the country, due to the unique nature of the project, visitors were keen to be informed about 100% local ownership and the process of building the three wind turbines. The attendees deal with wind policy at national and provincial levels. Annually, they visit projects in the field, to experience policy in implementation and especially, to hear and see how it is received in the area.

Adriaan Bennen, policy officer on space & accessibility of the province of Overijssel opened the morning with a welcome speech, after which alderman Alwin Mussche took over. 'Staphorst is a special village. If you tell people outside Staphorst that you live there, questions and prejudices often arise. There's nothing wrong with that, because people know Staphorst because of that, it's a strong brand. Staphorst is known for character, guts, innovative and entrepreneurial work. The municipality makes use of the village's entrepreneurship and supports initiatives in various fields. If it can be done then it can be done in Staphorst. I am proud of what cooperative Wij Duurzaam Staphorst has achieved,' says Alwin Mussche. Nationally, the Bovenwind project is being cited as a model project. The municipality of Staphorst did not blindly follow the rules, but determined its own policy for the village.

Hennie Luten project leader a.i. of Windpark Bovenwind took visitors through the process. From the start to the actual realisation of the project, including the difficulties involved in the preliminary process. Jenko Huls chairman of the board of Wij Duurzaam Staphorst explained the financial aspect and the risks involved. 'Projects like this can only happen if the community bears it and has a say during the process. Trust is an important aspect here. Realisation and operation for and by Staphorst, Jenko said'.

More information about the cooperative can be found at www.wijduurzaamstaphorst.nl