Dutch Minister for Climate and Green Growth Sophie Hermans has outlined plans for the introduction of a two-way Contracts for Difference support scheme for onshore renewables.
The new scheme would replace the country’s existing SDE++ support scheme, which provides operating subsidies to onshore wind, solar PV and other CO2-reducing technologies, and is being driven by new EU regulations on electricity market design.
Hermans stated in a letter to the Dutch parliament that a legislative proposal for the policy shift will be published this summer.
She added that the CfDs would help to provide price certainty for developers and would be designed to encourage efficient electricity generation, reduce grid congestion and contribute to developing a market in which renewables can be developed without government support.
Legislation will be submitted to the Council of State before the end of 2025, followed by submission to parliament in early 2026, according to the current schedule.
Under European Electricity Market Design regulations, from mid-July 2027, operational support for solar PV and onshore wind may only be provided in the form of two-sided CfDs.