Cooling water
The new plant drains about 33m3 cooling water per second. As with the current plant this cooling water will be retrieved from a depth of seven metres from the Europahaven and drained into the North Sea from a half-opened concrete block dam in the Breekwater. Temperature measurements from the plant already in operation in the concrete block dam and on the North Sea show that the impact of drained cooling water is negligible. Moreover the sea-floor will not be heated. A so-called lagoon with a concrete block dam appears to be a good method for draining warm water without damage to the environment.
Tweede (second) Maasvlakte
When the Tweede Maasvlakte is realised, draining will take place into the new Yanghtzehaven. Here again, cooling water will also be retrieved from the Europahaven. In the meantime, we have started negotiations with the Rotterdam Port Authority to reach a solution with a minimum impact on the environment and on plant output.