Limited scale of next Dutch offshore wind tender ‘a worrying signal’

On 16 January 2026, the Netherlands Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans, told the House of Representatives that the upcoming tender for offshore wind energy for the IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A site would be limited to 1.0 GW. The tender is due to be issued in September 2026. The support budget for the tender is €3.9Bn (US$4.5Bn).

A large-scale tender along the lines of the recent highly successful offshore wind auction in the UK, in which more than 8.0 GW was awarded, was not expected in the upcoming Dutch tender, given that aim of the tender was to prevent development of offshore wind from ‘stalling’ while a new tender framework based on the use of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) is introduced. A framework based on the use of CfDs is not expected to be introduced for offshore wind tenders in the Netherlands until 2027, hence the need for a short-term, temporary support mechanism and budget for the 2026 tender.

Mindful of the currently challenging market conditions for offshore wind, the Dutch government announced in its recent Action Plan that it would reduce the rollout rate from 4 GW to 2 GW in 2026. However, said Ms Hermans, it has since become clear that the available budget allocated by the government is not sufficient to support 2 GW, as originally anticipated. 

Responding, NedZero chairman Jan Vos said, “It is good that offshore wind can proceed this year with a 1-GW tender and that a support budget has been made available. It is now important that the new cabinet fully focuses on the electrification of industry and a multi-year budget for a CfD for offshore wind.”

NedZero acknowledged that the government is taking steps to support the industry, temporarily allocating a support budget for the tender, but noted that 1 GW of capacity “is in stark contrast with what is currently being permitted elsewhere in Europe and what is needed to meet climate goals.”

“This reduction in capacity is a worrying signal for the maritime sector in the Netherlands, which benefits from certainty about the rollout of offshore wind and the volumes for which the sector can scale its production,” Mr Vos said.

In NedZero’s view, the incoming Dutch cabinet formed following the Dutch General Election in late 2025, “will need to take different steps in the interest of the Netherlands than the current cabinet.” It called for continued support for the rollout of offshore wind through a multi-year budget for a CfD for offshore wind, so that the pace of the energy transition can be maintained.

“In the short term, NedZero, together with its members, will determine whether the tender criteria for the upcoming tender are robust enough for a positive business case and thus provide prospects for a bid,” the clean energy organisation concluded.