Dutch Gov’t Adds Second Site to 2026 Offshore Wind Tender

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy said on 3 April that, in addition to the already announced 1 GW IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A site that is set to be auctioned off this year, developers will also be able to apply for the 1 GW IJmuiden Ver Gamma-B site, bringing the upcoming offshore wind tender in the Netherlands to 2 GW.

As previously reported, the Dutch government had initially planned to award only the 1 GW IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A site in September/early October 2026 through a subsidy-based tender, before the Contract for Difference (CfD) scheme, on which the government is working, is implemented from mid-2027. 

The updated plan now foresees both IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A and Gamma-B being awarded under the temporary subsidy scheme designed to de-risk offshore wind investments and stimulate developer participation until the CfD mechanism is in place.

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) expects to grant the subsidy decisions and associated permits in the first quarter of 2027. The wind farms are likely to start generating energy from 2032.

RVO noted that the maximum subsidy amount for Gamma-B will be EUR 0.103/kWh, slightly lower than for Gamma-A due to higher expected wind yields at the Gamma-B site.

With the simultaneous tendering of Gamma-A and Gamma-B, the Gamma-A procedure is now delayed from late September/early October, as previously anticipated, to December.

According to a letter to Parliament submitted by Stientje van Veldhoven-van der Meer, the Minister of Climate and Green Growth, this also aligns with the call from wind farm developers for more preparation time, which is needed for, among other things, board approval, as it is difficult during the summer holidays in September.

The final tender regulations for IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A and Gamma-B will be published in the second quarter of 2026. While the draft regulation for IJmuiden Ver Gamma-B is the same as that for Gamma-A, there will be a six-week online consultation for the draft regulation for the second site, during which developers can provide input to the final regulation.

According to RVO, as both projects will be connected to the same offshore grid platform operated by TenneT, with the export cable landing at Maasvlakte, the two offshore wind farms can connect together immediately upon receiving permits, which ensures the best possible use of the offshore grid.

“Connecting both lots to a single platform also requires less work and time. Furthermore, connecting both wind farms at once is cheaper than doing so in stages”, RVO said in a press release on 3 April.

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