Wind In The Netherlands To Fly Subsidy Free

Dutch test the water for subsidy-free offshore wind farms

Bart H. Meijer w/Susan Fenton, December 15, 2017 (Reuters)

"...[Hoping to capitalize on a boom in renewable energy, the Netherlands has] launched an attempt to fund an offshore wind farm without subsidies...In the world’s first ever so-called ‘zero subsidy’ tender for wind power, only companies that require no support at all can participate...The Dutch tender follows strong demand at wind farm auctions in Germany earlier this year - where some slots were granted without subsidies - although a Dutch official acknowledged that the Netherlands’ move was testing new ground and it might not receive any bids at all...Companies can hand in bids for two slots available in the North Sea, each representing a 350 megawatt (MW) project, by Dec. 21. The tender is the third in a series of five Dutch tenders to build offshore wind farms in the next six years with a total capacity of 3500 MW...At the Netherlands’ two previous auctions for offshore wind power last year, subsidies granted fell by a quarter, as a combination of surging demand for wind energy, low interest rates, technological progress and competition among turbine makers made it considerably cheaper to build wind farms...Germany, meanwhile, approved 1,490 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity on the German North Sea in April at costs well below expectations, with some bids receiving no subsidies at all...Energy companies have tried to lower expectations for the Dutch tender...The absence of subsidies will make it harder to predict revenues, especially as electricity prices remain low..." click here for more

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