Dutch Gov’t Taking Gas Infrastructure Into Consideration in Plans for Upcoming Offshore Wind Tenders

The Nederwiek IB offshore wind site in the Netherlands, which was initially planned to be part of the upcoming tender in 2025, is expected to be added to the 2026 round as the Dutch government assesses the impact a wind farm there could have on accessing a nearby gas transfer platform. A gas project proposal is also being considered in the site planning for IJmuiden Ver Gamma B which is part of next year’s 3 GW offshore wind tender.

In this article:

• Gas Infrastructure and Site Planning for Nederwiek IB and IJmuiden Ver Gamma B
• First Offshore Hydrogen Demo Permit to Be Awarded in 2025

The Nederwiek IB (1B) offshore wind site was part of the 4 GW IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek I tendering plan but the government postponed the procedure for the site. As reported earlier, the Nederwiek IB permitting process was put on hold as the Dutch government studies the impact on the activities at the nearby gas transfer platform. The assessments on this matter are expected to be completed in 2025.

Nederwiek IB is now expected to be included in the tender for Nederwiek II & III, planned to be launched in 2026, Eva de Leede and Joost Vermeulen from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate said at a workshop organised by the Dutch government during Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC) 2024 in Amsterdam.

The Nederwiek I offshore wind area is located south of the K13-A platform which is part of the West Gas Transport (WGT) pipeline that brings gas to land.

An obstacle-free zone is required to reach the platform by helicopter and, according to the initial results of a Flight Operational Safety Assessment, accessibility of K13-A by helicopter may be challenging using the current standard flight procedures if Nederwiek IB offshore wind farm is realised.

According to the information shared by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate at the workshop in November, further research needs to be carried out including a simulator study, with plans to determine mitigation measures and conduct a real-life verification.

A pilot project, Point in Space (PinS) has been initiated to explore a new way of accessing the K13-A platform.

Only once it has been confirmed the gas transfer platform can be accessed safely will the site decision and the tendering procedures for Nederwiek IB be initiated, according to the Ministry.

Gas infrastructure is also being taken into account for the IJmuiden Ver Gamma B site, which is set to be awarded next year. In this case, the infrastructure concerns plans by NAM Offshore for potential new gas extraction activities in the area that would involve multiple platforms.

The government, as well as the relevant agencies and parties, are exploring different integration options and their consequences, including the number of production platforms, if any, and evaluating the potential impact of the options on the IJmuiden Ver Gamma B business case.

After all facets are considered, a decision will be made on the coordinates of the Gamma B offshore wind site in the final site decision.

As the government published draft regulations and plot decisions on 21 November, opinions and advice on the matter of IJmuiden Ver Gamma B can also be submitted by 2 January.

In a letter to the Parliament on 21 November, when the draft Ministerial Orders and site decisions were published for the upcoming offshore wind tender, the Dutch Minister of Climate and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans, also provided details on a plan to select a consortium for the realisation of the first offshore hydrogen demonstration project and how the government intends to award the subsidy for the project.

A few days later, the Ministry launched consultation for the offshore hydrogen project that will be open until 26 January 2025.

The Dutch government plans to issue a call for proposals for the realisation of the Demonstration Project 1 (Demo 1) offshore hydrogen project in 2025 and expects to select a consortium which will develop Demo 1 in the same year. The chosen consortium will receive a financial contribution in the form of a subsidy to realise the project.

In the letter to the Parliament, Minister Hermans noted that, since the technology for offshore hydrogen production is new, the first projects are not expected to be profitable so a subsidy is needed to build and operate them. Given that the subsidy qualifies as state aid, it requires approval from the European Commission. The government will contact the European Commission on the matter once the consultation on the concept of the call for proposals is concluded.

Demo 1 is part of the two previously announced demonstration projects for offshore hydrogen production, with the first one planned to comprise an electrolyser with a capacity of approximately 30-50 MW while Demo 2 will have an electrolyser with a capacity of around 500 MW. 

The Demo 1 project is planned to be built in or near the Hollandse Kust Noor offshore wind farm around 2030.

The preferred location for Demo 2 is in the Ten noorden van de Waddeneilanden offshore wind area. The second offshore hydrogen project is planned to be constructed in 2033.

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