Swedish-based energy company Vattenfall won a zero-subsidy bid in a Dutch offshore wind auction earlier this year. Now, the company once again spies an opportunity to win Dutch offshore wind projects, says Gunnar Groebler, president of wind at Vattenfall.

The new projects are called Hollandse Kust Zuid 3 and 4, and they are located in the same area as the one where Vattenfall in March won the right to install a wind farm.

"Having won Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 and 2, we're inclined to upgrade to a 1.4-1.5 GW project. That would be amazing," says CEO of wind business area at Vattenfall to Ritzau Finans.

"Let's wait until we see the final bid documents, but if the information presented earlier is accurate, we're likely to submit a bid," he adds and stresses that a final decision has not yet been made.

May be zero-subsidy bid

The Dutch auction in which Vattenfall participated in was the first zero-subsidy bid.

Morten Imsgaard, senior analyst at Sydbank, believes that it is highly probable that the upcoming Dutch auction will be won with a zero-subsidy bid.

He names Equinor and Shell as players who may potentially issue such a bid. but expects that Ørsted will drop out.

Looking towards France

Vattenfall is looking towards a future French offshore bidding round, but the Swedish-based energy company has not decided whether it intends to participate.

"The projects are very interesting, but we don't have the final bid documents, and when we do, we will make a final decision," says Gunnar Groebler who expects that the final guidelines and terms of the bids in the Netherlands and France are made public before year-end.

Previously this year, Vattenfall announced that it made an alliance with two other companies to submit a bid for a French offshore wind farm off the coast of Dunkerque.

Morten Imsgaard does not expect Ørsted to be a competitor to the Swedish-based energy company in the French offshore wind market any time soon, he says to the news service Ritzau Finans.

Conversely, Ørsted has been successful in the German offshore market and has commissioned several wind farms, one is under construction and two are in the development phase. Vattenfall also sees this market as desirable.

"We haven't been successful in German bids, but there will be more. We definitely want to stay in the market," says Gunnar Groebler.

English Edit: Lisa Castey Hall Nielsen

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