The economic affairs ministry is to give nearly €1bn in subsidies for a private consortium to develop the country’s biggest wind farm in the Noordoost polder near the fishing village of Urk.

The wind farm will generate enough power for 400,000 households, and is ‘of the very highest importance’ to meet government green energy targets, economic affairs minister Maria van der Hoeven said in a news release.
The Netherlands currently generates around 3% of its energy needs from renewable sources but has a target of 20% by 2020.