The Council of Ministers in The Netherlands has formalised when and where new offshore windfarms it plans to build will be installed
An initial tender for the new windfarms, which will supply 10.7 GW of energy, will open in 2025. The aim is that the new offshore wind capacity will be operational by 2030.
The areas in which the new windfarms will be built are located to the north and northwest of the country, and have been given the following names: Nederwiek, Lagelander, Doordewind.
The Netherlands was already planning to develop a number of other areas that are relatively close to the coast. Also planned are Hollandse Kust (West), approximately 2.1 GW, for which the tender process recently closed, and IJmuiden Ver, approximately 6 GW.
The newly approved plans include approximately 10.7 GW of capacity that is further from shore, with 6 GW planned in the Nederwiek area; 0.7 GW North of the Wadden Islands; and approximately 4.0 GW at Doordewind.
Together with the 11 GW of offshore wind the government was already committed to building, this will ensure that The Netherlands has around 21 GW of offshore wind by 2030, capacity that equates to approximately 75% of current electricity consumption in the country. Transmission system operator TenneT will install the grid connections for the additional offshore wind capacity.
Minister for Climate and Energy Policy Rob Jetten said, “We want to generate as much green energy as possible in the North Sea. That is a huge job. Construction of a windfarm and connection to the grid takes several years. In order to achieve our goals for 2030, we are in a hurry to get the windfarms up and running as quickly as possible.”
Construction of the grid connections for the projects will requires an investment of approximately €16Bn. In order to realize construction according to plan, TenneT will award contracts for the manufacture of the platforms, cables and equipment before the final permits have been obtained.
The government in The Netherlands has been considering plans to dramatically increase offshore wind capacity in the country since late last year.
The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Belgium recently agreed to build windfarms with a total capacity of 150 GW in the North Sea by 2050, with a target of 65 GW by 2030.
