Additional ecological criterion for builders of new offshore wind farms

Hollandse Kust West will soon be 52 kilometers from the coast and barely visible from the beach. Electricity is routed to the national electricity grid via cables that land in Wijk aan Zee.

According to the Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO), the ecological criterion should help to force bidders to be innovative. The durable surcharge applies to lot VI. With Lot VII, the bidders have to come up with something new to make sure the systems connect better to each other.

Financial offer

Hollandse Kust West is made without subsidy. The wind farms to be built will each have a capacity of approximately 700 megawatts. Together, this represents around 6% of the current electricity consumption in the Netherlands. The wind farms are to be commissioned by 2025-2026.

According to the RVO, it is also new that bidders can also make a financial offer for the first time. This is not an auction, but a maximum contribution of 50 million euros to the financing of wind farms in order to score additional points. Where the government first had to attract business with subsidies, wind power is now so popular that it can ask the business community for money to develop new projects, according to a spokesperson.