Dutch Gov’t Plans Single-Site Tender in September, Temporary Subsidy Mechanism to Support 1 GW of Offshore Wind

The Dutch government plans to launch a subsidy-based, 1 GW offshore wind tender in September to ensure its success before the Contract for Difference (CfD) scheme, on which the government is working, is implemented from mid-2027. According to the Dutch Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth, the temporary measure is necessary to maintain the momentum of offshore wind development, which otherwise may stall.

On 16 January, Minister Sophie Hermans notified the Parliament of the plans to open a tender for the 1 GW IJmuiden Ver Gamma A site in September 2026, with a subsidy budget of EUR 3.98 billion to be offered under the Temporary Support Mechanism Offshore Wind Energy (Tijdelijk Ondersteuningsmechanisme Windenergie Op Zee; TOWOZ), based on an independent cost analysis by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).

Minister Hermans states that in the Offshore Wind Energy Action Plan, the government intended to put 2 GW of offshore wind capacity out to tender, with subsidies, in September 2026. However, the PBL advisory report indicates that there is insufficient budget for 2 GW, and to have a reasonable chance of success, a maximum tender amount must be used, so it is only possible to put 1 GW out to tender.

In 2025, the government delayed tenders for IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A and IJmuiden Ver Gamma-B, which had been planned to be auctioned off in the third quarter of last year, citing deteriorating market conditions and decreased demand for electricity, and said the sites would be awarded through separate procedures.

In September 2025, the Dutch government announced it would bring back the subsidy scheme for tenders in 2026 to serve as a temporary measure, while the government is working on introducing the Contracts for Difference (CfD) model in the future.

According to Minister Hermans’s letter from 16 January, the government does not want to give up on holding an offshore wind tender this year, since this may lead to the rollout of offshore wind being stalled. This would also delay or lead to the cancellation of sustainable industrial processes and have negative consequences for the supply chain, and would also increase costs for TenneT, which are expected to be reflected in grid tariffs.

“If the government does nothing, offshore wind energy development will be halted indefinitely. This has a direct impact on achieving climate goals and energy independence, and will put the brake on the economy”, Hermans writes in the letter to the Parliament.

The draft tender regulation is now open to consultation for six weeks, with the final regulation to follow in a few months, before the tender is launched in September.

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