The permit application period for two new North Sea wind farms starts on 14 April. The wind farms, sites HKW VI and VII, form part of the Hollandse Kust (west) wind energy area. The deadline for submissions is 12 May and the results will be announced in the autumn. In addition to generating renewable electricity, innovation plays a key role here.
Offshore wind: pillar of the climate policy
Offshore wind is one of the most important climate policy pillars. The objective is that the Netherlands has a climate-neutral energy supply by 2050, which means that all the energy we consume is generated sustainably.
Several wind farms are already being constructed on the North Sea, just a few dozen kilometres from the North and South Holland coast. Preparations are currently underway for new offshore wind farms. These wind farms together need to supply 75% of our current electricity demand as early as by 2030.
Permit applications via tender procedure
The permit application period for two new wind farms will start soon. This concerns sites HKW VI and VII, both part of the Hollandse Kust (west) wind energy area. These farms are around 50 kilometres off the North and South Holland coast. In total, the two wind farms should supply 1,400 MW of proposed wind power capacity.
The tender procedures will be used to determine which parties receive the permits. The tenders for sites VI and VII, organised by Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) will open from 14 April to 12 May 2022. The winners are expected to be announced in October 2022 following assessment and consideration of the applications. The new wind farms must start supplying wind energy in 2025/2026.
Incentive for innovation
The new wind farms are being constructed without grants. However, a new feature is that the developers can make a financial bid, which is possible because of an amendment to the ‘Offshore Wind Energy Act’. A further new feature is the extra assessment criterion for each of the two tenders. For site VI, this criterion is the contribution to ecological innovation, and for site VII this concerns innovation of system integration: the project’s contribution to existing and future wind farms in the Dutch energy system. The Dutch national government aims to stimulate innovative aspects as well as the production of renewable energy. The tenders were discussed in advance with the wind sector and market parties.
Offshore wind? EGEN can help!
Offshore wind is one of EGEN’s important areas of innovation expertise and our consultants can help parties with all aspects of their application. It is important that the proposed innovations comply with national and international policy and that the innovations use the very latest technology. EGEN can help safeguard the above and ensure that the application is entirely in line with the wishes and requirements set out in the tender. Although these wishes and requirements appear to be stated clearly, more often than not you need to be able to read between the lines. This means that the question behind the question is important and you need to have a an eye for this. The EGEN experts are fully conversant in this and will help you produce an effective application.
