In the Esbjerg Declaration in May at the North Sea Energy Summit, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium agreed to jointly install at least 65GW of offshore wind energy by 2030. Transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT will account for almost two-thirds of this with 40GW - 20GW each in the German and Dutch North Seas. Achieving these offshore targets requires a new tender approach to ensure that the supply chain is able to anticipate on necessary investments.
TenneT plans to enter into a cooperation agreement with key market partners for a period of up to eight years. The agreement covers offshore platforms and onshore stations, as well as the converters for the two-way conversion between alternating and direct currents. Total order volume is estimated to be up to 30 billion euros.
The impetus of the large-scale tender sends a strong signal to the market. It underlines the long-term purpose of building up all the required resources such as industry sites, staff, and materials. Whereas up to now individual projects have always been tendered consecutively, the entirety of this large-scale tender will provide the market with the investment security and planning acceleration it needs.
