New offshore wind farms

Why is wind energy important?

We would like to be energy independent. And as the Netherlands becomes more sustainable, our electricity consumption will increase. The intention is to use more and more electricity instead of fossil fuels. 

Offshore wind energy provides 'clean’ electricity that reduces CO₂ emissions. It it also a reliable source of energy because of strong and constant winds in the Dutch North Sea. That is why will need a lot of it in the future, because we want to be climate neutral by 2050.

• We have more than achieved our first goal of 4.5 GW in 2023. In total, we had 4.7 GW of offshore wind energy by the end of that year.
• Under the current Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap, our goal is to reach 21 GW installed capacity.
• Permits for 5.5 GW of capacity have already been awarded to developers and new wind farms are under construction.
• Development of offshore wind has encountered some delays in 2025 due to deteriorating market conditions. Rather than requests for tenders for 4 GW, 1 GW has therefore been offered in 2025 instead.

When we reach the 21 GW goal, Dutch offshore wind farms will supply 16% of the energy we need in the Netherlands.

30-40 GW in 2040

By 2040, we will need between 30-40 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. This will enable us to generate enough energy to the Netherlands’ energy consumption needs. This is stated in the North Sea Wind Energy Infrastructure Plan of July 2025.

That is less than the previous expected estimate of 50GW. This is because the transition from fossil fuels to electricity use by, amongst others, industry, is lagging behind. The costs of constructing wind farms have also risen. 

You can read more about the North Sea Wind Energy Infrastructure Plan on the page Offshore Energy Infrastructure.

New wind farm zones

Because offshore wind energy will continue to increase after completion of the current Roadmap, we are already looking at new wind farm zones. In these wind farm zones, the Government can designate sites for the construction of wind farms after the current Roadmap timeframe. The Government is designating these new wind farm zones in the so-called 'Partial Revision of the North Sea Programme'. This is a supplement to the North Sea Programme 2022-2027. We expect the new Partial Revision at the end of 2025.

The draft Partial Revision is included in the Letter to Parliament dated Friday 18 April. The Government is planning to designate Doordewind (west) Wind Farm Zone and Search area 6/7 as locations for new wind farms.

Want to know more?

There are also plans for offshore energy infrastructure and the landing of wind energy (from sea to land). More information about this can be found on the pages below.

• Offshore Energy Infrastructure
• Landfall of offshore wind energy: from sea to land

In the documents below you can read more about the Government's vision for offshore wind energy.

• North Sea Energy Outlook
• Future scenarios