Noordzeker Consortium Submits Plans for 4 GW Dutch Offshore Wind Tender

Planning & Permitting

April 3, 2024, by Adnan Memija

The Noordzeker consortium, comprising ABP, APG, and SSE Renewables, has submitted plans for the 4 GW IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta offshore wind tender in the Netherlands.

In January 2023, SSE Renewables, APG, the largest pension provider in the Netherlands, and ABP, formed a consortium for participation in the IJmuiden Ver offshore wind farm zone tenders.

Through Noordzeker, ABP is seeking collaboration with knowledge institutes, industry, societal organizations and national, regional and local governments. APG, in the capacity of ABP’s asset manager, will be responsible for the execution of the Noordzeker coalition goals, in which the consortium will hold a vital role.

Last week, the Noordzeker consortium submitted plans for the IJmuiden Ver wind zone, which consists of two sites, each of which can house approximately 2 GW of installed offshore wind capacity.

The tender for the Alpha and Beta sites was launched in February 2024. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) closed the application period at 5 p.m. (CET) on 28 March.

The plans for site Alpha focus on ecology and biodiversity while Beta focuses on optimal integration of wind power into the Dutch electricity grid.

The Noordzeker consortium already signed the International Corporate Social Responsibility (ICSR) agreement for the renewable energy sector, which contains agreements on international corporate social responsibility (IMVO). The partners also joined forces with the Naturalis Biodiversity Center to work on biodiversity in the Dutch North Sea.

According to RVO, the government received several bids for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta sites. Swedish multinational energy company Vattenfall already announced that it is bidding for both Alpha and Beta.

The company filed the applications(s) under the name “Zeevonk”, which is the Dutch word for sea sparkle, a natural phenomenon that occurs as the plankton known for its bioluminescence illuminates the sea.

On the other hand, Eneco and Equinor, the two companies that had teamed up to bid in the Dutch 4 GW offshore wind tender, withdrew from competing in the tender, saying the current approach to offshore wind was not future-proof due to deteriorated market conditions and that a Contracts for Difference (CfD) tender model would be preferred in these circumstances.

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The offshore wind farms at IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta sites are expected to be put into operation at the end of 2029 or the beginning of 2030.

The 6 GW IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone contains three sites, with IJmuiden Ver Gamma, the third 2 GW site, expected to be put out to tender in 2025.