Originally planned to go to tender as two 2GW rounds (one in 2023 and one in 2025), the Government decided to offer the IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Sites Alpha and Beta at the same time.
By offering all 4GW at the same time, economies of scale can be achieved. The tender will again be based on comparative assessment and include a financial bid as one of the requirements, along with security of realisation and contribution to the energy system, and several additional competitive criteria.
On 11 June 2024, the Minister for Climate and Energy announced the results of the tenders for IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Sites Alpha and Beta.
The permit for Site Alpha has been granted to Noordzeker, a consortium that consists of SSE Renewables, ABP and APG.
The permit for Site Beta has been granted to Zeevonk II, a consortium that consists of Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
Which area is it?
The IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone (IJVWFZ) is located 33.4 nautical miles (62 km) off the west coast of the Netherlands. The total area of the sites within the IJVWFZ (including the maintenance and safety zones) is approximately 650 km². The IJVWFZ will supply approximately 6 GW of power to the Dutch electricity grid. That is 2 GW per site.
Grid operator TenneT will install 3 platforms with 3 grid connections in the area. TenneT's platforms all have a 2 GW direct current connection to a land station. With direct current, the voltage on the electricity grid remains constant. With alternating current, the voltage changes between positive voltage and negative voltage 50 times per second. These are the first offshore wind farms in the Netherlands to be connected with a direct current connection.