Zero Bids in 1 GW Dutch Offshore Wind Tender

The Dutch government has confirmed that no applications were submitted for the latest offshore wind tender for the 1 GW Nederwiek I-A site in the North Sea. The tender closed on 30 October without bids, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) said in a press release issued the same day.

In a letter to Parliament, Dutch Minister for Climate and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans wrote: “Today the tender for the Nederwiek I-A wind site has closed. No applications have been submitted. This confirms that we have entered a market situation in which government support is crucial to prevent offshore wind development from stalling.”

RVO opened the tender on 16 October and, following the outcome after the tender closed, said that for the Nederwiek I-A site, the tender criteria had already been adjusted to the current market conditions to make this permit round more attractive.

As reported by offshoreWIND.biz on 16 October, the permit to build the 1 GW project was to be awarded through a comparative assessment with a financial bid, with additional criteria also applied to stimulate innovation in ecology, circularity, and system integration.

In her letter to Parliament on 30 October, the minister said that the market has changed significantly in recent years. Whereas offshore wind farms could be built without subsidies since 2018 and some developers were even willing to pay for permits, “European market conditions have now changed considerably”, Hermans noted. Developers face rising costs and slower-than-expected industrial electrification, which makes it harder to secure long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and has reduced their willingness to invest.

RVO also said that rising costs, challenging contract conditions and reduced electricity demand have made offshore wind less attractive for developers. The agency pointed out that other European tenders, including in Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Belgium, have faced similar difficulties or postponements.

Because no permit was granted, the realisation of the Nederwiek I-A wind farm will be delayed, and the tender will need to be repeated later. The minister warned that this could affect the national offshore wind roadmap, which had expected the site to be operational by 2030, and could create additional costs for the transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT. However, she stressed that the overall impact will depend on future policy choices and funding levels.

Hermans also reaffirmed that offshore wind plays a key role for the Netherlands to reach its energy and climate goals.

“Despite this setback, offshore wind energy remains essential for the Netherlands to become more energy independent and to have enough green energy to make our energy system more sustainable”, Sophie Hermans wrote in the letter to Parliament.

To maintain momentum, the cabinet is preparing a new tender round in 2026, in which 2 GW of capacity will be awarded with subsidies. RVO confirmed that there will be a new permit round with a subsidy, with EUR 948 million already reserved for this from the Climate Fund. The minister said Parliament will be informed by January 2026 which sites, including potentially Nederwiek I-A, will be part of that round.

In the letter to Parliament, Minister Hermans outlined several other measures to support the market: extension of the Indirect Cost Compensation (IKC-ETS) scheme through 2028 to lower electricity costs for industry, preparation of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) for renewable electricity, and the creation of a PPA guarantee fund with Invest-NL. These are intended to strengthen both supply and demand for green electricity and restore investment confidence. Decisions on these instruments will rest with the next cabinet.

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