The European climate objectives are becoming more and more ambitious. If we want to meet the EU Fit for 55 targets, we need to speed up what we are doing three to four times. Offshore wind plays a crucial role in the energy transition: Europe wants to connect a total of 60 GW of offshore energy by 2030 and nothing less than 300 GW by 2050. Together with market parties, TenneT developed a new 2GW (Gigawatt) standard to be able to accelerate offshore wind deployment. The new standard aims to further reduce the costs of offshore wind and to minimise the spatial and environmental impact. The new 2GW standard will more than double the capacity in comparison to the previous 900 MW HVDC standard and almost triple the 700 MW AC standard. The new transmission standard supports the essential next step towards larger offshore wind farms and a North Sea wide European Hub-and-Spoke system – combining wind power connection, coupling of energy markets through interconnection and smart integration into the main onshore grids. As part of this development, the Dutch IJmuiden Ver projects will be hub ready to connect a future multi-purpose interconnector (WindConnector) to the UK.

IJmuiden Ver projects

TenneT will now start the tender of the stations (Platform & HVDC system) of the Dutch IJmuiden Ver projects. With this tender, TenneT enters the next phase for the innovative 2GW projects in the IJmuiden Ver wind area. It is expected that this contract will be awarded by the end of 2022. Recently the engineering for the land station was tendered and the cable contract will follow later this year. The first  2GW IJmuiden Ver connection is planned to be operational in 2028.

Innovative cooperation TenneT and market parties

Marco Kuijpers, director Large Projects Offshore at TenneT: "Wind energy from the North Sea plays the crucial role in realising the ambitious offshore wind goals for the Netherlands and Europe. Households and certainly heavy users such as the industry need to electrify. TenneT's experience in offshore grid development combined with the expertise and insight of market partners have resulted in the 2GW grid connection that will play a very important role in unlocking the North Sea Power House as the source of sustainable energy for not only the Netherlands and Germany, but in fact all of Northwest Europe."   

About the 2GW Program

To be able to accelerate we set up the 2GW Program. In this we combined our extensive know-how in offshore grid development with a unique transnational approach and developed a new offshore standard together with the market. With the 2GW Program we can really unlock the possibilities of the North Sea. So we can provide Europe and its inhabitants with even more green energy in a safe and cost-efficient way – all with the least environmental impact possible. With the 2GW Program, we increase the pace and tackle the future of the offshore grid expansion through harmonisation. At least six standardised offshore grid connections with a transmission capacity of 2 GW each will strengthen TenneT's role as driver of the European energy transition in the Dutch and German North Sea until 2030. The 2GW Program sets the new beat of the European energy transition.