The CrossWind consortium, led by Shell, announced on Wednesday the timely completion of a 759-megawatt offshore wind farm at the Hollandse Kust Noord site. This achievement stands out in an industry grappling with project delays elsewhere, attributed to escalating costs.
The successful commissioning of the wind farm marks a significant milestone, bringing the Dutch installed base of wind power in the North Sea to 4.5 gigawatts. This aligns with a decade-old plan and is expected to contribute approximately 15% of the nation's electricity needs.
While the offshore wind sector faces rising costs and project slowdowns in the United States and Britain, outgoing Dutch Energy Minister Rob Jetten highlighted that construction costs in the Netherlands have decreased. He attributed this trend to growing expertise and standardization, emphasizing increased efficiency in project execution.
In the Dutch model, private companies, including Swedish-owned Vattenfall, bid for concessions to build wind farms, while the state ensures proper grid connections. Notably, the CrossWind consortium, featuring Mitsubishi-owned energy company Eneco NV, achieved this milestone without receiving any subsidies.
However, Minister Jetten cautioned the parliament in October about potential higher financing costs for grid construction at the state-owned company TenneT, citing rising interest rates.
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Looking ahead, the Dutch government aims to continue its ambitious plans for rapid expansion in the North Sea. The goal is to add additional larger wind farms at 2 gigawatts each, reaching a total installed capacity of 21 gigawatts by 2030-2031. Nevertheless, uncertainty looms, as the outcome of the November 22 national election brought gains for the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), which opposes investments in green energy.
As tenders for 2 gigawatts concessions at the “IJmuiden Ver” Alpha and Beta sites are slated for 2024, the industry anticipates further developments, awaiting decisions from the country's next government regarding its commitment to green energy initiatives.
