A new permit tender round for the construction and operation of wind farms in the Dutch North Sea will start in autumn 2025. At the beginning of September the sites for the IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek I wind farms were split into sites for 1GW of wind energy capacity. 4 smaller sites were chosen to reduce the financial risks for wind farm developers applying for a permit from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) in the tender.
During the previous tender round for the construction and operation of 2 GW offshore wind farms, RVO received multiple bids from wind farm developers. But there were less than expected. This is partly due to the changed market situation: costs have increased and returns are less certain. That is why the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth is splitting the planned 2 GW sites into 1 GW sites. This means developers need to invest less and the financial risks are reduced.
The IJmuiden Ver Gamma Site has been split into:
- IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A (eastern site) - 1 GW
- IJmuiden Ver Gamma-B (western site) - 1 GW
Nederwiek Site I has been split into:
- Nederwiek I-A (southern site) - 1 GW
Nederwiek I-B (northern site) - 1 GW
In total, these sites will still provide 4 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. Grid operator TenneT will construct the offshore grid, connecting the wind farms to the onshore high-voltage network. The wind farms will be connected to TenneT's platform, which will have a direct current connection of 2 GW to a land station, meaning that two 1 GW wind farms will connect to a single platform.
RVO expects to announce the details of this permit round in the fourth quarter of 2024.
