Netherlands’ Government Says Offshore Wind Targets Are No Longer Realistic

Addressing the Dutch Parliament, the interim government’s Minister for Climate and Green Growth has said the current goals for offshore wind energy are “no longer realistic.” The Ministry reports it is working on a new plan that will reset the country’s targets, lowering the near-term goal by as much as 40 percent.

The Netherlands is scaling back its ambitions for offshore wind energy power to the dismay of those in the industry and other European partners. However, in May, the country canceled two offshore wind auctions, citing a lack of interest and financial concerns. Today, Parliament was told that there is “slower-than-expected” progress in the transition to green power, according to the broadcaster NOS. It highlighted the supply chain and other challenges in the industry.

There had been speculation a year ago that the Netherlands was falling behind and was likely to miss its targets. It currently has 4.7 GW installed, but the government had set a plan calling for 50 GW to be developed and reached between 2032 and 2040. The longer-term goal was 70 GW by 2050. Currently, about one-sixth of the country’s power is supplied by offshore wind power.

The ministers told parliament that a new plan would be available by September, but they expect it could be as low as 30 GW. They said an additional 10 GW to reach 40 GW might be possible, depending on the speed of development in the industry.

NedZero, the Dutch wind power association, said that it obviously regrets the revised ambitions while noting that more needs to be done to launch electrification. 

However, it also admitted that the new targets, “remain a major challenge and we as a sector will fully commit to it,” said Jan Vos, chairman of NedZero, in a statement. “The crucial thing now is to further develop the demand for sustainable energy. We must stop using oil and gas… Lowering ambitions undermines confidence in the entire supply chain.”

The group is also calling for a stable and predictable government policy, which it said is essential to attract private investment. 

Earlier this year, a group of more than 20 companies had urged the government to introduce financial guarantees or subsidies to reduce investment risks.

The revised policy is being outlined by the interim government, which is currently in a caretaker position. The coalition government collapsed at the beginning of June, putting the current caretakers in position. The plan calls for new elections in October with strong competition from an environmental faction versus a right-wing movement. The results of the election are likely to further impact the Netherlands’ outlook and plans.