Vattenfall, CIP Dutch Offshore Wind Farm Delayed to 2032, Project to Be Built in Two Phases

The completion date for Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ offshore wind farm at the IJmuiden Ver Beta site in the Netherlands has been pushed from late 2029 to 2032 due to the delayed completion of the Delta Rhine Corridor (DRC). In addition, the 2 GW offshore wind project will now be built in two phases.

Vattenfall and CIP revealed the plans for the project, which will comprise a 2 GW offshore wind farm and a 50 MW floating offshore solar farm as well as a 1 GW electrolyser plant, in June 2024.

The Zeevonk joint venture has indicated that it is no longer financially and economically feasible to realise the project in line with the current permit due to the delayed completion of DRC. Through the DRC, green hydrogen produced at Maasvlakte could be transported to customers in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

The Dutch government has decided to amend the permit, which Zeevonk won in last year’s IJmuiden Ver Beta tender.

Vattenfall and CIP will build the offshore wind farm in two phases: the first 1 GW is scheduled for completion in 2029, and the second in 2032.

The phased construction means half of the IJmuiden Ver Beta wind farm will still contribute to the 2030 climate target. However, the delay will increase costs for TenneT, as its existing offshore grid contracts did not anticipate a partial postponement. These extra costs, once approved by the regulator ACM, will be passed on through network tariffs.

The minimum required capacity of system integration measures, such as electrolysers, will be reduced to at least 500 MW. The obligation to realise the offshore solar farm will also be adjusted to an innovative character project. This means Zeevonk will realise a 6 MW offshore solar farm by 2028 at the latest, earlier than originally stated in the permit. In addition, the developer will scale up the solar farm to 50 MW if financially and technically feasible.

The total amount Zeevonk must pay will be reduced to EUR 400 million. The developer will pay the original EUR 20 million annually in the first two years, then nothing for several years, and will gradually pay more from the time the offshore wind farm becomes operational. In the 2026 draft budget, the net revenue shortfall (total EUR 400 million) will be accounted for, according to a letter sent by the Minister for Climate and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans, to the House of Representatives.

“If these changes had not been made, Zeevonk would likely no longer have been able to realise the wind farm,” said Hermans. She also added that, given the challenging market conditions for offshore wind, the government expects little interest from other wind farm developers to build this project.

Recently, Hermans presented the North Sea Wind Energy Infrastructure Plan to Parliament and said that the 2040 offshore wind target of 50 GW will be lowered. The new plan and Climate and Energy Memorandum, expected to be released and signed in September, are planned to set the target at 30-40 GW.

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