(Montel) The auction for a permit to build a 1 GW offshore wind farm off the Dutch coast has received no bids. The lack of interest in the Nederwiek I-A site tender was not unexpected as the government is putting in place a subsidy scheme for new offshore wind farms from next year.

European power prices could jump between 5–30% if grids fail to keep pace with a surge in demand from data centres amid the growth in AI, analysts told Montel.

Dutch gas storage levels are at the lower end of margins required for supply security but remain “sufficient” for the time being, said a spokeswoman for Dutch gas TSO Gasunie.

The Dutch market is expected to return to rising annual capacity additions this year after 2024 produced the worst growth figures so far this decade. The country is set to add around 4GW of PV capacity in 2025, with 4.5GW of new projects forecast for 2026, and 4.1GW in 2027, according to Dutch New Energy Research (DNER).

The business case for battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in the Netherlands is unviable due to high network tariffs, said Dutch utility Eneco.

A surge in renewable energy growth in the Netherlands has brought unprecedented stress on the national electricity network, reflecting a similar problem across the EU as power producers and users grapple with grid congestion.

Soaring curtailment, subsidy losses and collapsing capture rates are hammering returns.

As the renewable energy transition progresses, new technology is quickly enabling an additional demographic of energy consumers to take part in the decarbonisation of electricity production, like those living in urban apartment spaces. European countries such as Germany, Austria and France are already seeing substantial growth in the installation of plug-in solar devices fitted to balconies, garages and sheds.

Operators of Dutch solar farms are “struggling financially” amid a surge in negative power prices – up as much as 70% year on year – subsidies failing to keep pace and a saturated grid, industry observers told Montel.

The Netherlands’ energy imports have risen to a record high since it closed Europe’s largest onshore gas field in Groningen last year, Dutch statistics office CBS has said.

The outlook for the European TTF gas market will remain tight into the winter months – with a “nail-biting” season expected – as weak gas storage levels add to bullish prices risks, an Engie analyst has said.

Energy industry participants raised concerns on Tuesday of potential setbacks to offshore wind projects after the exit of one of the government's coalition parties.

Construction work has started on a 300 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in the Netherlands after developer Giga Storage agreed financing of EUR 300m, the company said.

Spain’s goal to build 3GW of floating offshore wind by 2030 is now unattainable because of a protracted delay to the country’s first ever tender. Some developers, including Ferrovial and Equinor, have already scrapped early-stage projects totalling more than 3GW, as investment conditions remain uncertain due to a lack of clarity on auction terms.

The Netherlands is facing increased risk of blackouts from 2033 onwards unless the government promotes investments in battery storage and demand-side response mechanisms, Dutch TSO Tennet has said.

Niels van der Linden adjusts his sunglasses in the midday sun on a spring day as he strolls along one of his company’s solar farms near Utrecht, in the centre of the Netherlands. Like most of the country’s roughly 28 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity, the farm’s 46,000 solar units are producing green electrons at full speed, dragging the Dutch intraday power price at that very moment below EUR -50/MWh.

The government of the Netherlands and the country’s oil and gas association Element NL have agreed on measures aimed at squeezing another 65bcm of gas out of the Dutch North Sea.

Dutch grid operator Tennet can make an additional 9.1 GW in power network capacity available during off-peak hours using a new type of flexible contract.

The offshore wind industry has welcomed a recent promise by Dutch minister for climate and green growth Sophie Hermans to implement a Contracts for Difference (CfD) mechanism aimed at improving conditions for new projects.

European demand for heat pumps was insatiable during the energy crisis that started in 2022, with manufacturers investing billions of euros in new production facilities to help energy consumers replace fossil fuel boilers. Although sustainable heating goals remain in place, the market has truly cooled down. Nowhere has this been more pronounced than in the Netherlands, which was one of the fastest-growing heat pump markets during the energy crisis. Energy journalist Karolin Schaps investigates the reasons behind the drop in heat pump demand and what it could mean for Europe’s sustainability and energy security targets.