The Dutch cabinet will move ahead with a 1GW offshore wind tender in 2026 after concluding that this is the largest volume that can realistically be delivered within the current budget, reducing its earlier 2GW ambition for the round.
The capacity will be offered at the IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A site, where permits and grid planning are already in place. The government prefers this location over the previously examined Nederwiek I-A area because connection risks are assessed as lower at IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A.
Support will be granted through the SDE++ scheme, with a ceiling of €104/MWh, based on advice from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. The authorities state that this price cap is required to keep sufficient competition in the tender and to prevent developers from switching their attention to more attractive offshore wind markets abroad.
The government also signals that fully merchant projects are no longer feasible in the current environment. It points to higher interest rates, increased labour and material costs, broader inflation, and weaker and more volatile power-market revenues as the main factors eroding the business case for tenders without state backing.
According to the cabinet, the 1GW round is designed to keep the national offshore wind build-out on track. A slowdown in the programme, it warns, would put climate targets, security of energy supply and the electrification of industry at risk.
The tender will combine a subsidy-based procedure with a parallel auction window in which bidders can submit offers without requesting financial support. However, the government considers it unlikely that zero-subsidy bids will emerge under current market conditions.
The draft regulation is now being released for public consultation, and the tender is scheduled to open in September 2026, as set out in a recent ministerial letter to parliament.
