Positive
Project advancing - milestone achieved
High Impact
Major milestone or critical setback
On 11 June 2024, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), acting on behalf of the Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy, awarded the Noordzeker consortium (SSE Renewables, ABP and APG) the permit for IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Site Alpha. Under the Dutch offshore wind tender mechanism (Wet windenergie op zee), the permit constitutes the lease-equivalent instrument: it grants Noordzeker the exclusive seabed-use right to build, operate and decommission the 2 GW offshore wind farm at the IJmuiden Ver Alpha site for a 40-year term. The selection followed a qualitative tender that scored bids on system integration, ecological design and bid quality rather than price; Noordzeker's bid emphasised nature-inclusive design, including artificial reefs and a 'living laboratory' for biodiversity. The formal 40-year lease agreement was subsequently executed on 9 July 2024.