SSE to enter race for Hollandse Kust West offshore wind tender

SSE Renewables has announced plans to enter bids into the upcoming tenders for the 1.4GW Hollandse Kust West offshore wind zone in Dutch North Sea waters, which are set to take place in the first half of 2022.

Just before Christmas 2021, the Dutch government issued tender assessment criteria for the permits to develop the two individual 700MW sites within the zone, known as 700MW Hollandse Kust West Alpha Hollandse Kust West Alpha (700MW) OffshoreNetherlands, Europe Click to see full details and 700MW Hollandse Kust West Beta Hollandse Kust West Beta (700MW) OffshoreNetherlands, Europe Click to see full details.

Innovation will be at the heart of the two tenders, with half of the points to be awarded to bidders allocated under this category. SSE Renewables said it “welcomes this approach and the opportunity to use its ecological and systems integration expertise to develop innovative solutions to current and future challenges” both in the Dutch tender and elsewhere.

“The Netherlands is one of the leading offshore wind markets in Europe. The Hollandse Kust West tender will be a great opportunity for us to show what we can do, and we look forward to announcing more about our plans in the coming months,” said Dennis Breugelmans, project director, international markets at SSE Renewables. 

The Hollandse Kust West wind farm zone is located approximately 53km off the west coast of the Netherlands, in the North Sea, and covers a surface area of 187km². 

It will accommodate at least 1.4GW of offshore wind power capacity using fixed-bottom foundations. Transmission system operator Tennet will construct two offshore platforms with two grid connections within the zone.

Details of the application process are due to be published shortly, with the window for submissions scheduled between 14 April and 12 May 2022, and winners to be announced in the summer.

If successful, SSE’s Hollandse Kust West projects would be commissioned in 2025-26.

SSE Renewables has developed offshore wind projects in UK and Irish waters, and claims to be involved in the construction of more offshore wind than any other company in the world.

It recently entered the Japanese offshore wind market, and is exploring options in Poland, Portugal, Spain and the US.

Separately, the Dutch government recently announced plans to increase its offshore wind targets by 11GW to a total of 21GW by 2030.