Grontmij and Agro Food Parks

Grontmij and Agro Food Parks

Grontmij 

Our profile 

Grontmij, established in 1915, is a leading sustainable design, engineering and management consultancy active in the growth 

markets of water, energy, transportation and sustainable planning and design. We are ranked the fourth largest consultancy in 

Europe and are listed on the Euronext Stock Exchange. We have an extensive network of offices with almost 300 offices across 

Europe and a further 50 offices globally. 

Our vision 

Making our daily working and living environments more sustainable. 

Our mission 

To be the leading European sustainable design, engineering and management consultancy for the built and natural environment. 

Our company 

We are active in the growth markets of water, energy, transportation, sustainable planning and life cycle asset management. At the 

heart of our business is the sustainability by design principle. It is a leading value proposition for our customers. 

Our values 

We express our pride and passion by working closely together – with colleagues and customers. We support attempts to improve 

sustainability of working methods and end results through innovation and creativity. That is how we grow, both as a business and as 

professionals. 

Our history 

We began in 1913 as a company focused on cultivating wasteland, helping farmers protect against flooding and reclaiming land. 

We still do this and much, much more. Our value chain of services stretches from major renewable water and infrastructure projects 

through designing efficient and environmentally-sensitive mobility and transportation networks to shaping and monitoring our 

built and green living spaces. 

Our future 

We look to the future to enhance the world we live in. By applying sustainability considerations to all our design, consultancy and 

management services right across the value chain, highly-skilled expert professionals are able to create lasting solutions that plan 

for, connect and respect the future. 

Our value chain 

Delivery of services stretches from mayor renewable water and energy infrastructure through design-ing efficient and 

environmentally-sensitive mobility and transportation networks to shaping our urban and green living spaces. 

Grontmij and Agro Food Parks 3

Our focus 

We focus on combining our skills internationally within four business line. This allows us to leverage local knowledge and 

international innovations and combine these with strong services delivery to a global client base. 

Our four business lines are: 

Planning & Design 

covers the multidisciplinary services such as environmental management and design, urban planning (including urban-agro food 

production processing), building, construction, land use, leisure and land-scaping – everything which influences the places and 

spaces within which people live and work. 

Transportation & Mobility 

covers services for mobility management, roads, railways, tunnels, waterways, traffic management systems and airports – all 

elements of enabling mobility and movement. 

Water & Energy 

covers services for water, waste water treatment, industry, process, sustainable industrial processes, energy techniques and 

renewable energy – all of which are linked by the types of (technical) proc-esses inherent to the work we do. 

Monitoring & Testing 

covers all scientific and technical knowledge used in construction, including geotechnical studies, structural and material 

diagnostics and pathologies, product audits and certifications and mainte-nance and monitoring for complex projects, inspections 

and tests both on site and in the laboratories. 

At the core of our business is the principle of sustainability by design, which is a leading value propo-sition for our customers. 

Grontmij is the fourth largest engineering consultancy in Europe with almost 300 offices across the European region and a further 

50 offices globally. We have nearly 11,000 professionals around the world. Grontmij is listed at NYSE Euronext. 


GRONTMIJ in Asia 

Grontmij has been active in Asia for more than 40 years in infrastructure, environ-mental and water projects. We have offices 

throughout Asia, notably in Vietnam, China and India. On project basis we work in other Asian countries as well. 

Grontmij China 

Grontmij has been active in China for over 15 years. Grontmij China is participating in major projects in China and delivering several 

value added services. Grontmij has partnership agreements with leading Chinese engineering companies. The focus of Grontmij 

China is on projects in the sustain-able built environment. Recently, we established our office in Wuhan, under the name of Grontmij 

Hubei Engineering Consulting Co. Ltd 

Agri business parks 

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Benefits of agro business parks 

Economic 

• Advantages of scale through industrial production & processing 

• Significant cost reductions & increased profit margins 

• Optimization through proven advanced economic modelling; 

• No seasonality/ no land dependency; 

• Increased output; 

• Independency of fossil fuel pricing; 

• High value products. 

Environment 

• Optimization + minimization in the use of water 

• Re-use of water 

• Re-use of waste & by products 

• CO2 re-use 

• Re(use) of manure 

Food Safety 

• Tracking & tracing 

• Input/output control 

• Easier disease control / bio security implementation 

Logistics 

• New business models possible by implementation of distribution models 

• Additional logistical activities 


The Grontmij Approach 

Grontmij has an integrated approach towards agro business parks. This approach is not only focussed on development, but also 

towards the operational & maintenance phase. 

We work closely with the contract-partner and also with others partners in different possible business models in order to create the 

optimal result. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commissioning & 

Start-up 

Operations 

 

 

 

Procurement & 

Construction 

Demand Analysis 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning 

Modelling 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grontmij has considerable experience in the development 

of agribusiness and agribusiness parks around the world, 

including China. Agro business is a typical example of providing 

added value through a combination of sustainable design and 

comprehensive life-cycle management. 

Our concept of Eco-agro business parks provides in an 

agricultural production and processing which takes place in 

a most sophisticated, highly technological industrial way. An 

agro park can be consid-ered as a system innovation in the 

field of urban agro-food production and processing. It consists 

of spatial clustering of the total chain of production, spatial 

clustering of different agro production, spa-tial combination 

of agro processing, research & development, trade and other 

business activities. Other business activities can add to a better 

economic performance of the agribusiness parks. 

The spatial and technical design of the agro and non-agro 

functions like energy production, waste and water and 

management is in accordance to the principals of sustainability 

and “cradle to cradle”. 

In recent years Grontmij successfully completed an impressive 

number agro food related projects. The role of Grontmij in 

these projects can be: initiating, analyzing, planning, advising, 

designing, catalyzing, organizing, engineering, tendering, 

supervision, aftercare 

An insight of the expertise can be given by the following 

thematic summary some supported by se-lected reference 

projects, which are mentioned specifically below. Services for 

agro business parks include: 

• economic modelling 

• integrated area development 

• spatial planning and clustering of other functions 

• technical design 

• energy and waste management 

• (re)use of heat, electricity and CO¬2 

• geothermal energy 

• improvement of water management 

• life cycle and asset management 

• environmental impact assessment 

• sustainable building techniques 

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Examples 

Sustainable energy 

• Initiating, organizing, financing 

and engineering an energy web in 

greenhouse area ‘Zuidplaspolder’ 

making using of different energy 

sources (geothermal, CHP) 

• Completing a feasibility study of using 

geothermic energy in greenhouses in 

the town of Bleiswijk (NL) 

• Completing a feasibility study of 

designing and building an energy 

neutral greenhouse in Heerhugowaard 

• Engineering a heat and CO2 

distribution system near industrial 

district of Sluiskil (South of the 

Netherlands) for a greenhouse area of 

168 ha. 


Sustainable water management systems 

• Using wastewater as irrigation water, by designing and 

building a decentralized waste water treatment plant in large 

greenhouse areas 

• Advising national government on how to deal with the 

temporally shortage of fresh water supply for horti- and 

agricultural areas. 

Spatial planning 

• Re-developing a suburban area (500 ha) combining a number of functions: housing, recreation, water storage, ecological zone 

(Business case Poelzone). 

• Potential study for a new location of a large greenhouse areas in the Netherlands making use of a number of parameters and 

using ‘the layer approach’ with a number of essential selection crite-ria’s. 

• Advising national, regional and local governmental or private organizations where we made vi-sions of the sustainable 

developing of the greenhouse areas. 

Financial studies 

• Conducting cost Benefit Analyses for renovating greenhouse areas. 

• Completing business cases for a number of new greenhouse areas. 

Business development 

• Initiating and developing a large greenhouse area with investing companies and local partners (‘Agriport A7’ and 

‘Koekoekspolder’). 

Engineering 

• Providing technical consultancy 

• Engineering infrastructural works (i.e. roads, waterways) or public facilities. 

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Landfill with biogas extraction plant, Erfeishan Wuhan 

• Feasibility study, design, tendering, supervision, training, capacity building, aftercare (overall 6 years) 

• Feasibility Study as option to CO2 stripping, from the biogas 

• Feasibility study biogas from waste water sludge, Wuhan 


References 

Agriport A7 

The most profit can be achieved if climate solutions can be 

combined with profit optimization. This really helps to open 

doors and climate advantages can be great. The greenhouse 

farming area of Agriport A7 is an agribusiness centre in 

Wieringermeer where the competitive advantage is largely 

gained by clustering logistic movements. Both the entrepreneur 

and the climate profit from it. In addition, lots of innovations 

in the field of sustainability were introduced in this enormous 

greenhouse farming area. Underground storage of rainwater, 

heat and cold storage systems, reuse of residual heat flows; all 

aimed at maximising profit by saving energy! Grontmij was the 

driving force behind this 530 Ha, EUR 400 mln and 100% CO2 

neutral investment. 

Greenport Shanghai 

On the initiative of Wageningen UR, Transforum and agricultural 

entrepreneurs from Limburg, a master plan has been drawn 

up to develop an agro-food park on Chongming Island in 

the estuary of the Yangtze river, near Shanghai. Grontmij 

supported the consortium in creating and specifying this 

master plan Greenport Shanghai should become the showcase 

of sustainable production of high-quality food close to a large 

city. In the park, production, processing and trade functions are 

integrated. Production takes place according to the cradle-2- 

cradle principles. It operates with closed cycles, reusing all the 

residual products and by-products. 

Energy web ”Zuidplaspolder” 

The Zuidplaspolder is situated in the Rotterdam/Zoetermeer/ 

Gouda triangle. In the next few years, this area will see many 

developments in the field of housing construction, greenery 

and water, companies and greenhouse farming. Led by the 

provincial authorities of Zuid-Holland, the municipal and 

provincial authorities, the environmental movement and 

market parties have jointly taken the initiative to carry out 

these developments in a sustainable way. In association with 

partners, Grontmij has set up and negotiated a covenant 

containing agreements on the use of sustainable energy. The 

essence of the covenant is that at least 20% of the energy used 

must be sustainable energy. The energy performance score on 

the location is at least 8. The energy usage in the greenhouse 

farming sector was assessed first, because its level of energy 

usage is relatively high. In addition, a CO2 pipeline must be 

installed in the area to allow the horticulture sector to use 

energy in a sustainable way, and energy webs that can be linked 

if possible and necessary are constructed in every cluster. 

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Water 

Design and realization of a sustainable water management 

system In Bleiswijk, the Netherlands, Grontmij developed a top 

end greenhouse area of around 100 hectares with production, 

education and R&D. Essential part of the project was the design 

and construction of a decentralized waste water treatment 

plant. This still ongoing and unique project is the first in the 

world with a semi-closed water cycle. As a following a fully 

closed system will be designed in the Zuidplaspolder with a 

fully closed water cycle and reusing also the nutrients. 

Production and optimization calculation 

framework 

Decision support tools for the horticultural sector are widely 

available, however none of them are specified for the local 

horticultural sector in China. Most decision support tools for 

Horticulture are aimed at developed horticultural sectors in the 

Netherlands where the knowledge level is high. With partners 

Grontmij is able to develop a controlled environment for the 

greenhouse in order to reach 

Residual heat and CO2 for market 

gardeners 

The industry releases a lot of residual heat that can still be used. 

This saves energy and reduces CO2 emission. Successfully 

using residual heat requires a well thought-out distribution 

and delivery system. In Terneuzen, Grontmij supervises the 

engineering and execution of the WarmCO2 project. Residual 

heat and CO2 produced by fertilizer factory Yara are used in the 

168-ha greenhouse complex of Glastuinbouw Terneuzen. An 

ingenious heating network transports approximately 130 MW 

of heat to the greenhouse farming companies. By reusing the 

energy and CO2, the market gardeners save up to 90% in fossil 

fuels. This makes Glastuinbouw Terneuzen the most sustainable 

greenhouse farming area in the Netherlands. 


Cooling 

In the year 2010 Grontmij completed a design and research 

project for the harbour Rotterdam, one of the most economical 

important harbours in the world. The aim of the research project 

called ‘cool-port’ was designing a sustainable freezing and 

cooling facility to store the large amount of fresh agri and food 

products for import and export through Europe. As a following 

up similar projects are carried out in other harbours in the 

Netherlands and Curaçao. 

Design Agriparc Wuxi (Jiangsu province, 

China) 

Set-up and design for the Masterplan for Wujin Agropark. 

Grontmij made the designs and the Infrastructure. The project is 

currently under construction. 

Hotspot climate and agriculture 

North Holland 

Grontmij acknowledged the influence climate change would 

have on agriculture, and the resulting effect on the future 

development of the rural areas, at an early stage. That is 

why, in association with LTO Noord and the Plant Research 

International institutes in Wageningen, Grontmij is carrying out 

an investigation into the desired adaptation strategies, under 

the BSIK* programme “Klimaat voor Ruimte” (“Climate changes 

Spatial Planning”). It has become clear that several crops will 

suffer as a result of drought, flooding, warmer winters, more 

warm and humid periods, causing thousands of Euros worth 

of damage per ha on an annual basis. In association with the 

sector, Grontmij is researching in what way – either through 

developmental measures or management measures – damage 

can be prevented, and what those measures will mean for the 

regional infrastructure (such as the soil hydrology) and for other 

functions in the area. 

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Partners in business 

Grontmij’s approach is focussed towards partnerships. Specific knowledge can be obtained and used through our extensive 

network. Examples of partnerships are: 

• GREENPORT HOLLAND 

INTERNATIONAL 

(network of 28 leading Dutch 

companies in horticulture) 

• KIEMT 

(Energy and Environmental 

Technology-cluster in the Netherlands 

(east) region) 

• Orange Pig 

(cooperation of 13 leading Dutch 

companies in pig breeding/rearing in 

China) 

Grontmij specialists 

Roelof Kooistra Alex Arkesteijn Han Hartman Lennart van der Burg 

Enrico Moens Hans van den Berg René ten Brinke 

Contact 


René ten Brinke 

Grontmij China 

+ 31 652 658 066 



De Holle Bilt 22 

3732 HM De Bilt 

PO Box 203 

3730 AE De Bilt 

The Netherlands 

T +31 30 220 79 11 

F +31 30 220 01 74

Grontmij and Agro Food Parks

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