Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has published the Draft Ministerial Orders (regulations) and Draft Wind Farm Site Decisions for the next tender round for the Dutch offshore wind farm sites IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A en Gamma-B en Nederwiek I-A. This next tender round will take place in September 2025 and uses a comparative test with financial bid.
Wind farm developers can then apply for a permit for the construction and operation of a wind farm at Sites IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A, IJmuiden Ver Gamma-B and/or Nederwiek I-A. Each wind farm will have a potential capacity of 1 GW. This means that 3 GW will be licensed in this next tender round.
Site specific tender criteria
The tender procedure for the three upcoming sites uses a comparative test with financial bid.
Nederwiek I-A – nature
For Site Nederwiek I-A, the emphasis is on nature in the North Sea. The criteria in the tender regulations encourages applicants to come up with new and innovative ideas to reduce the negative impact of a wind farm on nature in the North Sea and to strengthen it.
IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A and -B – onshore system integration
The IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A and -B tender regulations also contain ecology criteria but here, the focus is more on onshore system integration of the produced electricity. The electricity grid in the Netherlands is congested and offshore wind farms generate a lot of electricity. With the system integration criteria we stimulate wind farm developers to integrate this electricity into the Dutch energy system in the best possible way.
This can be done, for example, by stimulating demand for electricity in South Holland. There, the electricity from the wind farms comes ashore on the Maasvlakte and there are a number of large industrial companies in South Holland. If these companies electrify and use the electricity from offshore wind, the electricity will not have to go as far into the grid. Thereby, the electricity avoids a number of bottlenecks on the grid.
Another possibility to integrate the wind farms into the energy system is to sometimes reduce the output from the wind farm. As a result, less electricity needs to go to the grid when it is full. Developers will not receive any compensation for this measure. In the tender, developers can choose whether to stimulate additional demand for electricity or to sometimes reduce the electricity output from the wind farm, or a combination of both. For both the same amount of points will be rewarded.
Reduced financial risks for developers
When drawing up the regulations, the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth took into account the concerns of developers. The sites are 1 GW each. This is smaller than the sites in the previous tender round for Sites IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta (each about 2 GW). With smaller sites, the (financial) risks for developers are reduced.
Furthermore, the winner of the permits will start paying the financial offer they make in their application later. The obligation to pay an amount to the Dutch Government every year starts once the wind farm is in operation, i.e. when the developer has income from the wind farm. This is later than with the previous permits, when developers started paying from the moment they received the permit. This amendment means they will pay the financial offer for a period of 35 years instead of the original 40 years.
Respond to the Draft Ministerial Orders and Wind Farm Site Decisions
In January 2025, developers or other stakeholders who want to respond to the Draft Ministerial Orders can provide feedback to the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth. This may lead to adjustments to the final Ministerial Orders.The final Ministerial Orders are expected to be published in the Government Gazette in March or April 2025. Interested parties can register for the consultation by sending an e-mail to woz@rvo.nl.
The Draft Wind Farm Site Decisions for the three sites will be available for inspection from Friday 22 November 2024 to Thursday 2 January on the RVO website. Anyone who wants to can submit a response. This may lead to adjustments to the final Site Decisions. An English version of the documents will be made available in the coming days, RVO said on Thursday.
Nederwiek I-B tender postponed
The permit tender for Site Nederwiek I-B has been postponed. This is because gas transit platform K13-A is located near the Nederwiek I-B Site. Research is underway into how helicopters can safely reach this platform with a wind farm nearby.
The permit tender for Nederwiek I-B is expected to take place at the same time as the tenders for Sites Nederwiek II and Nederwiek III. This does not influence the realisation of the 21GW Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap by the end of 2032. Source: RVO
Related posts:
IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek I split into smaller sites to reduce financial risks for wind farm developers
Noordzeker and Zeevonk II winners of IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta tenders
Dutch energy minister informs on tender procedure for IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek I sites
RVO publishes draft tenders and Wind Farm Site Decisions for IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta