Norwegian utility Statoil has bid on a Dutch offshore wind project, in the first "zero subsidy" wind tender where no support will be offered to companies, reveals a press release from the company Thursday.

"An important element in our application is to apply future-fit operations & maintenance concepts suitable for the Hollandse Kust area. Building on our extensive offshore experience and more than 40 years as one of the largest energy providers in Europe, we believe we have a robust and efficient project proposal that is the basis for our application," said Irene Rummelhoff, executive vice president for New Energy Solutions in Statoil.

Last week, Vattenfall announced that it was also considering a bid.

The tender began on Dec. 15 and closed Thursday. If no bids are received which qualify, a new tender will be held with the opportunity for support.

The tender is for two wind farms in the Dutch North Sea with a total 700 MW capacity, to be installed in 2022.

Earlier this year, Ørsted won a German tender for three offshore wind farms, of which two were awarded without subsidies – a historic win, as until now offshore wind projects have always been financed with support.

However, unlike the Dutch tender the German tender offered the opportunity for state subsidies, but Ørsted offered a zero-subsidy bid.

English Edit: Lena Rutkowski

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