Landfall of offshore wind energy: from sea to land

How does electricity get from sea to land?

The electricity from offshore wind farms is transported to land via power cables and/or used to produce hydrogen which is transported via dedicated pipelines. There, the electricity must connect to the onshore high-voltage grid, the hydrogen network or directly to large industrial consumers, such as companies.

Learn more about the steps required to connect the cables and pipelines (in Dutch)

Growth of offshore wind energy

The Dutch government aimed to have 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2023. This target has been achieved. Under the Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap, the government plans to increase this capacity from 4.5 GW to 23 GW with new wind farms. Accounting for roughly 2/3 of the Netherlands’ current electricity consumption. The government aims to facilitate up to 40 GW of offshore wind energy in the future. Exactly how much will be needed and when depends largely on how demand for electricity develops.

The North Sea Programme 2022-2027 (attached below) concerns the spatial planning of the North Sea. It also includes the new wind energy areas that are planned for development to help us achieve our offshore wind growth ambitions.

2 government programmes, PAWOZ-Eemshaven and VAWOZ, have investigated certain routes and locations for bringing offshore energy onshore.

Landing in Eemshaven (PAWOZ-Eemshaven)

The Eemshaven Offshore Wind Energy Connection Programme (Programma Aansluiting Wind Op Zee – Eemshaven , PAWOZ-Eemshaven) was investigating 2 components:

• Options to connect the offshore wind farms planned for the Ten noorden van de Waddeneilanden and Doordewind Wind Farm Zones to the high-voltage grid or hydrogen network in Eemshaven in 2032.
• Options to connect future offshore wind farms to the high-voltage grid or hydrogen network in Eemshaven (you can read about these options later in the VAWOZ 2031-2040 Programme).

On 24 July 2025, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy desginated 2 possible routes for cables to support future electrical connections in Northern Netherlands: the Tunnel Route and the Oude Westereems Route. These routes are now included in the VAWOZ programme. The Minister also identified 3 additional possible routes for pipelines to bring hydrogen onshore.

Within this programme, we will decide whether and when these cable and pipeline routes to Eemshaven will be developed. We will also consider other connection locations that were explored under the VAWOZ programme.

The Schiermonnikoog Wantij route (VII) will bring offshore wind energy onshore at Eemshaven (in Dutch)

More information about PAWOZ-Eemshaven, official documents and consultation (in Dutch)

Research into new landing locations (VAWOZ)

The Programme for the Investigation into Landfall Options for Offshore Wind Energy (Programma Verbindingen Aanlanding Wind Op Zee, VAWOZ) investigated promising cable routes and connection locations to shore to connect the 29 GW planned between 2031 and 2040. The programme also investigated promising locations on land for facilities to produce hydrogen from the electricity generated by offshore wind farms. 

In the Climate and Energy Memorandum of September 2025, it was announced that offshore hydrogen production would be paused for 5 years. This decision was made due to lower-than-expected demand for hydrogen and slower-than-anticipated technological development. As a result, the VAWOZ programme will not designate any onshore landing locations for hydrogen.

The programme had previously investigated potential locations in the provinces:

• Noord-Holland
• Zuid-Holland
• Zeeland
• Noord-Brabant
• Limburg

A single cable can bring 2 gigawatts of wind energy onshore, enough to power around 2 million Dutch households annually.

More information about VAWOZ, official documents and consultation (in Dutch)

Or download the brochure (21 may 2026, in Dutch - attached below) containing more general information about the VAWOZ programme. 

What will the offshore grid look like in the coming years?

The Development Framework for Offshore Wind Energy (May 2026 - in Dutch) describes the design, construction, availability and lifespan of the offshore grid. This provides developers of offshore wind farms with advance clarity about the planning and preconditions for the development of offshore wind energy in the Netherlands.

The offshore grid is there to bring the electricity generated by offshore wind farms to land. The wind farms are connected to it. Choices in the design of the grid therefore influence the design of offshore wind farms. TenneT has been the grid operator of the offshore grid since 2016.

The development framework is updated as needed, for example when new offshore wind energy sites are designated. The latest framework includes:

• The new delivery dates and application periods for IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A and Gamma-B sites;
• The extension of the offshore grid’s lifespan for the Borssele, Hollandse Kust (South), and Hollandse Kust (North) wind farms to 37 years. This will ensure it remains operational for longer.

Findings from the research into reusing offshore gas pipelines

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy conducted a study into the possibilities of reusing offshore gas pipelines to transport hydrogen produced at sea. The Ministry explored 3 options and assessed their effects.

All 3 options involve reusing existing gas pipelines from: 

• Northern Offshore Gas Transport (NOGAT, offshore and onshore);
• Noordgastransport (NGT, offshore);
• Gasunie (onshore). 

However, current offshore gas production must not be disrupted by reusing these pipelines. Gas flows will therefore need to be rerouted, as fields still producing gas must remain accessible. This means new offshore gas pipelines will be required to ensure the gas can still be brought onshore.

Key findings and conclusions from the study (Dutch report attached below, HGH2):

• The installation of new long pipelines are required, to develop new routes for reusing NOGAT and NGT gas pipelines. These pipelines are needed to connect an offshore electrolyser to the existing pipelines. The pipelines can also reroute existing natural gas flows. The construction of these pipelines will have impacts of the transportation of gas, primarily further offshore.
• To be able to reuse pipelines for hydrogen, existing pipelines would need to be reburied. This would impact the sourrounding natural environment.
• The effects of reburying NOGAT pipelines in the North Sea are manageable. However, the effects of reburying the NGT pipelines on the Wadden Sea are uncertain. We are missing key data, making it impossible to assess the potential impact on the Wadden Sea.

Want to know more?

Do you want to know more about plans for new offshore wind farms and offshore energy infrastructure? You can find more information about this on the pages below.

• New offshore wind farms
• Offshore energy infrastructure