The Netherlands reached around 7,054MW of installed onshore wind capacity in 2025, although annual growth fell to one of the lowest levels recorded in recent years, according to the latest monitor published by Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland.
The agency said the country had approximately 2,550 wind turbines by the end of 2025. During the year, 29 new turbines were added while 20 older units were dismantled, resulting in a net increase of just 96MW.
According to the monitor, the installed fleet is capable of generating about 21.5TWh of electricity annually in an average wind year, around 0.3TWh more than in 2024.
Most of the capacity growth recorded in 2025 was concentrated in the provinces of Gelderland, Groningen, North Brabant, North Holland, Utrecht, Zeeland and South Holland.
Despite the additions, growth is slowing significantly. RVO warned that 2025 marked the weakest annual expansion since 2017 and projected that total installed onshore wind capacity could decline in 2026 as turbine removals begin to outpace new additions.
The report identified around 191MW of known decommissioning projects in the coming years, mainly involving older turbines in Flevoland and North Holland that are being replaced by newer and more efficient models.
At the same time, around 1,723MW of new onshore wind projects remain under development across the country, although many are still at an early stage. Of this pipeline, 630MW has already secured SDE++ subsidy support.
Flevoland continues to dominate the Dutch onshore wind sector with 2,145MW of installed capacity, far ahead of other provinces. Meanwhile, Utrecht and Overijssel remain the provinces with the lowest installed capacity, despite recording several new project proposals during 2025.
Under the Dutch Climate Agreement, municipalities, provinces and water boards are responsible for delivering renewable energy deployment through 30 regional energy strategies (RES). Together, the regions are expected to deliver at least 35TWh of renewable energy generation on land by 2030, although the combined ambition rises to 55TWh.
The sector, however, continues to face significant challenges. Regulatory uncertainty following a ruling by the Dutch Council of State on environmental standards for wind turbines has delayed or temporarily halted multiple projects. Developers also continue to face grid congestion issues that are slowing new grid connections.
Jan Vos, chairman of NedZero, said growing concerns over energy costs and geopolitical dependence underline the importance of accelerating renewable deployment.
“The low growth in 2025 and the looming decline in 2026 show what happens when workable rules are absent,” Vos said.
NedZero added that unclear environmental standards, lengthy permitting procedures, grid constraints and rising project costs are creating structural barriers for deployment despite the expanding project pipeline.
The association also stressed that onshore wind is becoming increasingly important as a system solution in the Netherlands, complementing solar generation and helping stabilise the electricity grid through flexible operation and storage technologies.