Not a single company wants to build a Dutch offshore wind farm in the North Sea
Not a single company submitted a tender to construct and operate a wind farm that the government wants to open on the North Sea, caretaker Minister Sophie Hermans of Climate and Green Growth wrote in a letter to parliament. She blamed the significant changes in the offshore wind energy market in recent years, NOS reports.
The Dutch government stopped awarding subsidies for wind farms in 2018. At the same time, the costs of building wind farms have risen sharply, while the industry is transitioning to sustainable energy more slowly than expected. As a result, investors are reluctant to take the risk.
Earlier this year, Hermans announced that the government would again subsidize offshore wind farms from the start of next year. The Minister stressed that offshore wind energy remains essential for the Netherlands, “despite this setback.” The country needs to become more energy independent and have sufficient green energy for sustainability, she wrote.
The wind farm involved is the Nederwiek I-A, planned to be constructed in the North Sea around 100 kilometers off the coast of Texel. The wind farm would generate enough electricity to power 1 million households.
The plan was for the wind farm to start supplying electricity in 2030. But because a new tender is now required, completion has been delayed. Hermans expects this will result in additional costs for the high-voltage grid operator Tennet.
