The Dutch government has received multiple bids in the 4GW IJmuiden Ver offshore wind tender.
Enterprise agency RVO said it is assessing multiple applications after the deadline passed at 1700 CET today.
The results are due in June. The identities of the bidders was not disclosed.
Earlier today, an Equinor and Eneco partnership confirmed it had pulled out of the tender while Vattenfall stated it had filed an application.
Developers are bidding for the rights to the 2GW Alpha and 2GW Beta plots 60km off the west coast.
The wind farms are being built without subsidies. The tenders consist of a comparative test with a financial offer.
With the latter the Dutch government wants to stimulate wind farms to contribute to nature of the North Sea and to the integration of the electricity generated into the Dutch energy system onshore.
For both sites also additional criteria considering International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) and circularity apply.
Applications are also assessed on among others the certainty that the wind farm will be realised.
Most points are awarded for criteria with a societal purpose (85 % of the total amount of points). With this the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy aims to encourage solution-oriented and innovative bids, it said.
Also the amount a company is willing to pay for being allowed to build and operate the wind farm earns points (15 % of the total number of points). It is not expected that parties will offer the maximum requested financial bid.
A financial offer is included in the tenders to ensure sufficient variation between applications. The winner is the party with the most points.
Climate and Energy Minister Rob Jetten (pictured): “The wind sector is facing challenges such as recent price increases and high interest rates.
“I am pleased that despite these developments, several parties have shown interest in building these wind farms. These wind farms contribute to achieving our climate goals and energy independence.”