Port of Eemshaven Coal Terminal
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Port of Eemshaven Coal Terminal, also known as Port of Eemshaven Wilhelminahaven, is one of dedicated terminal within Groningen Seaports that handles raw materials for energy generations, including coal.[1] Its import power Eemshaven Power Station, 1,600 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station commissioned in 2015 near the Port of Eemshaven. In 2018, The Netherlands decided to shut down all coal-fired power-based stations by 2030.[2]
Location
The Port of Eemshaven's Wilhelminahaven is located in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands.
Background
The Port of Eemshaven Coal Terminal is on the Wilhelminahaven, a basin in the port of Eemshaven in the province of Groningen, Netherlands. The port is managed by Groningen Seaports, which also runs the port of Delfzijl.[3] Groningen Seaports reserves the Wilhelminahaven for cargo linked to power generation: coal, biomass, gypsum, fly ash and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Coal ships are unloaded at the basin's 450-metre south quay, which serves Eemshaven power station.[4]
Between 2011 and 2017, the total volume of goods loaded and unloaded at Groningen Seaports more than doubled, from almost 3.3 million tons in 2011 to more than 6.6 million tons in 2017. The increase was largely attributed to coal. In 2017, more than 3.3 million tons of coal entered the Ports of Eemshaven and Delfzijl.[5]
In its 2025 Nautical Directory, Groningen Seaports lists RWE as the only operator in Eemshaven or Delfzijl that handles coal.[6] The power station has a net capacity of 1,580 megawatts in two units, has operated since mid-2015, and burns coal co-fired with about 25% biomass.[7][8] The plant's permit allows it to use up to 3.48 million tonnes of coal a year. Its coal store holds about 540,000 tonnes, and around 218 ships call each year.
Port of Eemshaven (Wilhelminahaven)
Around a third of all the energy that is produced in the Netherlands comes from Eemshaven. In 2020, the Port transshipped 4.6 million tonnes of cargo.[9]
In 2010, Groningen Seaports was constructing a heavy bulk quay around the Wilhelminaharbour, a major investment of about €55 million. Wilhelminahaven is on the eastern side of the Eemshaven Port. It was reported that when operational, Nuon's Magnum IGCC Power Station and RWE's Eemshaven Power Station would together need 5 million tonnes of coal and 1 million tonnes of biomass, which would be transhipped in huge bulk carriers to the Eemshaven.[10][11] However, coal gasification plans at the Magnum IGCC Power Station appear cancelled.
Wilhelminahaven is 1,200 meters long with a width of 275-300 metres, a depth of 14.0 metres and a quay length of 1,250 metres. It is a dedicated basin in the logistics for power production (coal, biomass, gypsum, fly ash). The southern quay is 450 metres and is used to unload coal carriers for the RWE Eemshaven Power Station.[12]
Port of Delfzijl
The Port of Delfzijl is primarily an industrial port with a strong chemical cluster. The Port transshipped 5.8 million tonnes of cargo in 2020, including 15% of total Dutch chemical production.[13] Coal handling appears minor or non existent.
Decrease in Coal handling
In a 2018 permit application, RWE proposed lowering coal use to about 2.5 million tonnes a year while doubling biomass to 1.6 million tonnes.[8] The plant has made Groningen Seaports a significant coal port. In 2017, more than 3.3 million tonnes of coal arrived at Eemshaven and Delfzijl, about 10% more than the year before, even as Dutch coal imports overall fell by nearly 7%.[14] The Netherlands bans coal-fired power generation from 2030, and RWE has said it will stop using coal at Eemshaven by then at the latest and convert the plant to biomass.[7] Coal's role in the port is already shrinking: Groningen Seaports handled a record 15.7 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, about a third of it LNG.[15]
Project Details
- Owner: Groningen Seaports
- Coordinates: 53.443539, 6.850046 (exact)
- Location: Eemshaven, Groningen, Netherlands
- Coal Capacity (Million tonnes per annum): 3.3
- Status: Operating
- Start Year: 2015
- Type: Imports
- Coal Source:
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Wilhelminahaven".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "RWE seeks compensation for Dutch plans to shut coal-fired plant," Reuters, February 4, 2021
- ↑ "Ports and Sites," Groningen Seaports, accessed October 2021
- ↑ "Wilhelminahaven" (in Nederlands). Groningen Seaports. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Coal transhipment at Groningen Seaports is growing, against the national trend," RTV Noord, June 13, 2018
- ↑ "Nautical Directory 2025" (PDF). Groningen Seaports. 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Eemshaven hard coal and biomass fired power plant". RWE. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Aanvraag voor een revisievergunning in het kader van de Wabo – RWE-Eemshavencentrale te Eemshaven" (PDF) (in Nederlands). RWE Eemshaven. April 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ “Eemshaven, The Energy Port of Northwest Euro: Beatrixhaven, Emmahaven, Julianahaven, Wilhelminahaven,” Groningen Seaports, accessed October 2021
- ↑ "1,600m New Bulk Quay in Dutch Eemshaven for Groningen Seaports," Dry Cargo International, April 19, 2010
- ↑ "Eemshaven," Pop Culture Wiki, accessed October 2021
- ↑ "Wilhelminahaven," Groningen Seaports, accessed October 2021
- ↑ "Delfzijl - Circular Hub and Biobased Location of Northwest Europe: Zeehavenkanaal, Oosterhornhaven, Handelshaven, Farmsumerhaven, Sea Locks," Groningen Seaports, accessed October 2021
- ↑ "Kolenoverslag bij Groningen Seaports groeit, tegen de landelijke trend in" (in Nederlands). RTV Noord. 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Groningen Seaports sluit 2025 positief af: verwachte winst van 2,5 miljoen euro, record aan overslag" (in Nederlands). Groningen Seaports. 8 January 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
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