According to the Dutch government's objectives, about 2750 MW of wind power should be installed in the Netherlands by 2020. Although the generating cost of wind electricity already compares favourably with that of conventionally generated electricity, the number of turbines in the Netherlands is growing less rapidly than expected.
Institutional bottlenecks make it difficult to find suitable locations on land.
Other European countries are beginning to experience the same problem, although here it is rather caused by rapid growth. In cooperation with the Dutch industry a plan was initiated for development of a 3 MW and subsequently a 5 MW offshore wind turbine. The project is now being led by an industrial consortium and a request for support from the EET programme has been submitted. The technological concept of a 3 MW turbine is expected to be completed within two years, after which the construction and testing of a prototype will take one year. The time horizon for its bigger brother is tentatively estimated at another four years.