Deputy Mayor of Veendam Henk Jan Schmaal opened the new solar park of the Dutch municipality on 15 March 2018. The park was connected to the grid in December 2017, has a capacity of 15.5 MW and supplies renewable energy for 5900 households. The new owner of the park, Astronergy/Chint Solar, had purchased the project from a local developer at the end of 2016 and is proud that the park was quickly realized by Goldbeck Solar GmbH. The undeveloped contaminated soil was unsuitable for agricultural use and has now found a new purpose in solar energy.