Permits for wind farms at IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A and Gamma-B, and Nederwiek I-A and I-B
Would you like to compete for a permit for the construction and operation of a wind farm in IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Site Gamma-A or Gamma-B and/or Nederwiek Wind Farm Site I-A or I-B in the North Sea? The application period for permits for these wind farms will open and close in autumn 2025.
New sites
At the beginning of September the IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek I sites were split into 4 sites, each for 1 gigawatt (GW) of wind energy capacity.
The IJmuiden Ver Gamma Site has been split into:
- IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A (eastern site) - 1 GW
- IJmuiden Ver Gamma-B (western site) - 1 GW
The Nederwiek Site I - formerly combined and known as Nederwiek (zuid) site I - has been split into:
- Nederwiek I-A (southern site) - 1 GW
- Nederwiek I-B (northern site) - 1 GW
In total, this still involves 4 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. By opting for 4 smaller wind farms, the financial risks are reduced for wind farm developers applying for a permit. Read more in this news release.
Location of the IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A, Gamma-B and Nederwiek I-A and I-B Wind Farm Sites
Which area is it?
Site Gamma-A in the IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone (IJVWFZ) starts at approximately 53 km off the west coast of the Netherlands. Site Gamma-B starts at approximately 61 km off the coast. The total area of the 4 wind farm sites (Alpha, Beta and Gamma-A and B) in this wind farm zone (including the maintenance and safety zones) is approximately 650 km2. The 4 sites combined will have a total installed capacity of 6 GW to supply power to the Dutch electricity grid.
Site I-A and I-B in the Nederwiek Wind Farm Zone starts at approximately 95 km off the west coast of the Netherlands. The total area of the 4 wind farm sites (I-A and I-B, II and III) in this wind farm zone (including the maintenance and safety zones) is approximately 600 km2. These 4 sites combined will also have a total installed capacity of 6 GW to supply power to the Dutch electricity grid.
This permit tender procedure concerns the IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A, IJmuiden Ver Gamma-B, Nederwiek I-A and Nederwiek I-B Wind Farm Sites. These will be 4 sites of 1 GW installed wind energy capacity.
Grid operator TenneT is installing the offshore grid, which connects the wind farms to the high-voltage grid on land. This is how the wind-generated energy ends up in our electricity grid. The wind farms are connected to a TenneT substation platform for this purpose. The platforms have a 2 GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) connection to an onshore station. This means that two 1 GW wind farms can be connected to one platform. The HVDC connection ensures that the voltage on the electricity grid remains constant.
When can you apply?
The application period for permits for these wind farm sites opens and closes at the end of the 3rd quarter of 2025. We expect to publish the exact opening and closing dates at the beginning of 2025. More information about this may be known in the final quarter of 2024 in the Draft Ministerial Orders.
The Letter to Parliament dated 26 April 2024 outlines the new planning schedule for offshore wind farms. The final schedule and associated milestones for the offshore grid can be found in the Offshore Wind Energy Development Framework.
Research into market conditions for offshore wind energy
Consultancy firm Afry conducted research into the market conditions for offshore wind energy. To this end, the agency also asked wind farm developers for their views on current market conditions. You can find this report below:
What conditions must you meet?
The applications are assessed using a comparative test with a financial offer. This means you can earn points based on a number of ranking criteria. The application with the highest score will receive the permit. In any case, we will take the following aspects into account when determining your score:
- the certainty that you will realise the wind farm;
- the contribution of the wind farm to the energy supply;
- the amount of your financial offer.
We are currently investigating which other criteria or rules will be taken into account when assessing permit applications. These relate to:
- ecology (reducing impacts on nature and/or restoring and strengthening nature in the North Sea);
- stimulating electrification (the switch from the use of fossil fuel energy to electricity);
- a link with onshore electrolysis (to turn sustainable electricity into hydrogen);
- circularity;
- International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) Agreement for the Renewable Energy Sector;
- shared use of the North Sea.
You can read about the interpretation and weight of the various criteria and the financial offer in the draft Ministerial Orders.
Prepare your application
We regularly post new versions of important documents for your application on this page. This ensures that you can start preparing your application in good time, well before the application period opens. This includes, for example, draft versions of:
- Ministerial Orders
- application forms
- regulations of the permit
Wind Farm Site Decisions
Another document that you use when preparing your application is the Wind Farm Site Decision. We expect to publish the draft Wind Farm Site Decisions in the course of 2024.
The intention is to include regulations in the areas of safety in the Wind Farm Site Decisions. View more about the (draft) IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A and Gamma-B Wind Farm Site Decision (in Dutch) and the (draft) Nederwiek I-A and I-B Wind Farm Site Decision (in Dutch).
Site characterisation studies
Together with our partners, we conduct site characterisation studies in the IJmuiden Ver and Nederwiek Wind Farm Zones. The data and reports from the site studies are regularly updated on offshorewind.rvo.nl. With the data from these site studies you can make plans and designs for offshore wind farms.
After your application
- We will assess all applications together with experts.
- A statutory period of 13 weeks applies to the assessment.
- One applicant per wind farm site will receive a permit.
- The highest scoring party for a wind farm site receives the permit to build and operate a wind farm at that site.
- You can also score the highest for multiple sites. In that case, you will receive the permit for multiple sites.
Want to know more?
Questions about offshore wind energy?
Email woz@rvo.nl
- Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth
