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A who’s who in the Dutch offshore wind sector has appealed to the country’s minister of climate policy and green growth, Sophie Hermans, to keep the country on track towards its target of 21GW of offshore wind capacity by 2031. A letter was sent to the minister by a coalition of, symbolically, 21 organisations, almost universally consisting of major players in the country’s offshore wind game, such as BP, Equinor, VanOord, RWE, Eneco, Vattenfall, Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, and Ørsted, among others. The companies noted that the postponement of tenders for the IJmuiden Ver Gamma in May shows how challenging the current state of offshore wind is. The interest in that tender was very low since majors like Eneco and Ørsted stated that they would not apply without subsidies. “Rising costs and the slow pace of industrial electrification have resulted in significant, often unacceptable risks for the development of new offshore projects,” the coalition said. The solution, according to the letter, lies in the introduction of a contract for difference scheme made for offshore wind, preparation of a fallback subsidy mechanism for 2026 in case a CfD isn’t implemented in time, and the acceleration of industrial electrification while lowering grid tariffs. “Stagnation in offshore wind deployment would have far-reaching consequences for Dutch and European energy security, the energy transition, and the business and investment climate. We want to prevent this and are committed to ensuring a strong and energy-independent Netherlands,” the coalition added. |
