Tenders for up to 1.4GW of new offshore sites to open in first half of 2022
SSE Renewables has today announced plans to enter bids into the upcoming tenders for the 1.4GW Hollandse Kust (west) Wind Farm Zone in the Netherlands which are set to take place in the first half of 2022.
On 23 December 2021 the Dutch Government issued revised draft Ministerial Orders which included tender assessment criteria for the permits to develop the two individual 700MW sites within the Zone. The detail of the application process is due to be published shortly and the window for tender submissions is scheduled between 14 April and 12 May 2022, with winners announced in the summer.
The two tenders have a clear focus on innovation, with half of the points-based system for successful bidders being allocated to this category. SSE Renewables welcomes this approach and the opportunity to use its ecological and systems integration expertise to develop innovative solutions to current and future challenges, both within the Dutch offshore wind sector and elsewhere.
SSE Renewables is the leading offshore wind developer across the UK and Ireland and is currently leading the construction of more offshore wind than any other company in the world. It is pursuing opportunities to export its extensive capabilities in offshore wind development, construction and operation to international markets, including recently entering the Japanese offshore wind market. SSE Renewables is actively exploring options in Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United States.
If successful, the Hollandse Kust (west) Projects would form part of SSE Plc’s recently published Net Zero Acceleration Programme, which included fully funded £12.5bn strategic capital investment plans to 2026 alongside ambitious 2031 targets, aligned with 1.5 degree science based targets. The plans for renewables include an increase of 4GW of renewables installed capacity (net) over the 5 years to 2026, doubling installed renewables capacity to 8GW (net). This provides a platform for ambitious new 2031 targets including a fivefold increase in renewables output to 50TWh, maintaining a sustained renewables pipeline in excess of 15GW, and a trebling of SSE’s owned renewables capacity to over 13GW (net) from c.4GW today. If SSE Renewables is successful in the tenders, the Hollandse Kust (west) Projects are expected to be commissioned in 2025-2026, thereby making an important contribution towards meeting these targets.
Dennis Breugelmans, Project Director, International Markets at SSE Renewables said:
“The Netherlands is one of the leading offshore wind markets in Europe. We welcome the Dutch Government’s ambitious new energy and climate programme and we want to bring our wealth of experience and track record in delivering cutting edge offshore wind projects. This will not only help the country meet its ambitious targets, but together with the local expertise of Dutch companies, we will bring forward innovations to help drive the whole Dutch offshore wind sector forward. The Hollandse Kust West tender will be a great opportunity for us to show what we can do, and we look forward to announcing more about our plans in the coming months.”
More about Hollandse Kust (west) Wind Farm Zone
The Hollandse Kust (west) Wind Farm Zone is located approximately 53 kilometres off the west coast of the Netherlands in the North Sea. The total surface area of the Wind Farm Sites within the zone (including maintenance and safety zones) is approximately 187 km2. Hollandse Kust (west) Wind Farm Zone will accommodate a minimum of 1.4GW of fixed bottom offshore wind power capacity. Transmission system operator TenneT will construct 2 offshore platforms with 2 grid connections within the zone.
The Dutch government has draft published assessment criteria with half of the scoring based on a one-off financial payment; knowledge and experience; financial standing; and energy yield. The other half of the scoring is based on innovation. One tender will focus on rewarding ecological innovation (Site VI) and the other will focus on systems integration innovation (Site VII).
Separately, the Dutch government recently announced plans to increase its offshore wind targets by 11GW to a total of 21GW by 2030. This is supported by a mature regulatory framework for identifying suitable areas for development and tendering them regularly to the market.