Vattenfall confirmed itself as a bidder in the tender for 700MW of offshore wind power launched by the Dutch government.

The Swedish energy group said it has entered the running for the Hollandse Kust South 1 & 2 zone, for which bids have to be lodged with the Netherlands today.

In an industry-first, the Dutch government decided to give subsidy-free bidders first crack at the auction for the twin 350MW projects after seeing developers grab projects off Germany earlier this year with nothing but the market power price attached.