Start/Stop notifications

If masses of birds are expected to be migrating across the North Sea, the Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth issues the recommendation or decision to stop the offshore wind turbines. This page gives details of relevant information.

Recent notifications

Notification November 9 2025

The Minister of Climate and Green Growth recommends reducing the number of revolutions per wind turbine of the wind farms mentioned in the site decisions below to less than 2 revolutions per minute on November 9, 2025, from 00:00 to 06:00 CET.

This advice applies to the offshore wind farms listed in the following site decisions:
- Site Decision I, Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision II, Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision III, Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision IV, Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016;
- Site Decision V (Innovation Site) Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021; - Site Decision I, Hollandse Kust (South) Wind Farm Area, as adopted on December 8, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision II, Hollandse Kust (South) Wind Farm Area, as adopted on December 8, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision III, Hollandse Kust (South) Wind Farm Area, as adopted on January 10, 2018, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision IV, Hollandse Kust (South), Wind Farm Area, as adopted on January 10, 2018, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision V, Hollandse Kust (North), as adopted on April 4, 2019, and amended on January 24, 2021;

Notification November 8 2025

Notification October 14 2025

The Minister of Climate and Green Growth recommends reducing the number of revolutions per wind turbine of the wind farms mentioned in the site decisions below to less than 2 per minute on October 14, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM CET (summer time).

Notification October 13 2025

The Minister of Climate and Green Growth recommends reducing the number of revolutions per wind turbine of the wind farms mentioned in the site decisions below to less than 2 per minute on 13 October 2025 from 00:00 to 06:00 CET (summer time) and on 13 October 2025 from 18:00 to 00:00 CET (summer time).

Notification September 25 2025

Notification September 24 2025

This advice applies to the offshore wind farms listed in the following site decisions:
- Site Decision I, Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision II, Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision III, Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision IV, Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016;
- Site Decision V (Innovation Site) Borssele Wind Energy Area, as adopted on March 24, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021; - Site Decision I, Hollandse Kust (South) Wind Farm Area, as adopted on December 8, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision II, Hollandse Kust (South) Wind Farm Area, as adopted on December 8, 2016, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision III, Hollandse Kust (South) Wind Farm Area, as adopted on January 10, 2018, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision IV, Hollandse Kust (South) Wind Farm Area, as adopted on January 10, 2018, and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site Decision V, Hollandse Kust (North), as adopted on April 4, 2019, and amended on January 24, 2021

Notification October 30 2024

The Minister of Climate and Green Growth advises to reduce the number of revolutions per wind turbine of the wind farms mentioned in the wind farm decisions below to less than 2 per minute on October 30, 2024 from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM CET.
This advice applies to the offshore wind farms mentioned in the following site decisions:
- Site decision I Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision II Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision III Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision IV Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision V (innovation site) Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision I Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on December 8, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision II Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision III Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on January 10, 2018 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision IV Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on January 10, 2018 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site V Hollandse Kust wind energy area (north), as established on April 4, 2019 and amended on January 24, 2021;

Wind farm operators Ørsted (Borssele 1 & 2), Vattenfall (Hollandse Kust (zuid) 1 to 4) and Crosswind (Hollandse Kust Noord 5) have indicated that they will follow the advice to limit the rotation speed of the wind turbines. Wind farm operators Blauwwind (Borssele 3 & 4) and Two Towers (Borssele 5) have indicated that they will not follow the advice.

Notification October 25 2024

The Minister of Climate and Green Growth advises to reduce the number of revolutions per wind turbine of the wind farms mentioned in the site decisions below to less than 2 per minute on October 25, 2024 from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM CET (summer time).
This advice applies to the offshore wind farms mentioned in the following site decisions:
- Site decision I Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision II Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision III Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision IV Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision V (innovation site) Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision I Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on December 8, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision II Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision III Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on January 10, 2018 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site decision IV Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on January 10, 2018 and amended on January 24, 2021;
- Site V Hollandse Kust wind energy area (north), as established on April 4, 2019 and amended on January 24, 2021;

Notification October 13 2024

This advice applies to the offshore wind farms mentioned in the following site decisions

- Site decision I Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;

- Site decision II Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;

- Site decision III Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;

- Site decision IV Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021 and amended on January 24, 2021;

- Site decision V (innovation site) Borssele wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;

- Site decision I Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on December 8, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021;

- Site decision II Hollandse Kust (south) wind energy area, as adopted on March 24, 2016 and amended on January 24, 2021

Notification March 16 2024

Notification of recommendation to limit rotation speed of offshore wind turbines in connection with mass bird migration

The Minister for Climate Policy and Energy recommends that the number of revolutions per wind turbine in the specified wind farms in the plot decisions referred to below be reduced to fewer than 2 per minute on 16 March 2024, from 9.00 p.m. to midnight (Central European Time).

This recommendation applies to the offshore wind farms in the following plot decisions:

- Plot decision I, Borssele wind farm zone, as adopted on 24 March 2016 and amended on 24 January 2021;
- Plot decision II Borssele wind farm zone, as adopted on 24 March 2016 and amended on 24 January 2021
- Plot decision III Borssele wind farm zone, as adopted on 24 March 2016 and amended on 24 January 2021;
- Plot decision IV Borssele wind farm zone, as adopted on 24 March 2016 and amended on 24 January 2021;
- Plot decision V (innovation) Borssele wind farm zone, as adopted on 24 March 2016 and amended on 24 January 2021;
- Plot decision I Hollandse Kust (zuid) wind farm zone, as adopted on 8 December 2016 and amended on 24 January 2021;
- Plot decision II Hollandse Kust (zuid) wind farm zone, as adopted on 8 December 2016 and amended on 24 January 2021.

Wind farm operators Ørsted (Borssele 1 & 2) and Vattenfall (Hollandse Kust (zuid) 1 - 4 inclusive) have indicated that they will follow the recommendation to reduce the rotation speed of the wind turbines. Wind farm operators Blauwwind (Borssele 3 & 4) and Two Towers (Borssele 5) have indicated that they will not follow the recommendation.

Legal framework

During periods in which birds migrate across the North Sea, there is a chance that their course will put them at risk from the wind turbine rotors. To limit as much as reasonably possible the number of birds that fall victim to wind turbines, the Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth has opted to incorporate a provision in the plot decisions for offshore wind farms. This provision implies that at night time (the period between 6 p.m. in the evening and 6 a.m. in the morning, according to Central European Time ), at times when masses of birds are migrating, the number of rotations per minute, per wind turbine, must be reduced to fewer than 2. The authority to issue a decision to stop the wind turbines is vested in the Minister under the terms of article 3 of the Offshore Wind Energy Act (Wet windenergie op zee).

What is the mechanism for reaching a recommendation?

The starting point is a prediction relating to bird migration across the North Sea, generated by a bird-prediction model developed by the University of Amsterdam on behalf of the government. If, in a specific time period during the night, that model makes a prediction for bird migration on that exceeds a specific number of birds per kilometre, per hour, it is considered to be a predicted mass bird migration. A special team of migration experts reviews the prediction. At the same time, transmission system operator TenneT analyses the risks associated with the security of generating electricity. Ultimately, the Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth decides whether or not to issue a decision to reduce the rotation speed of the offshore wind turbines to fewer than 2 revolutions per minute.

It is not possible to object to a recommendation, nor to lodge an appeal against it. Operators of offshore wind farms to whom this recommendation applies are notified of the recommendation.

Legal protection

Any person whose interests are directly affected by the decision to impose the standstill provision may submit a reasoned objection to the Minister of Climate and Green Growth, attn. the Legislation and Legal Affairs Directorate, P.O. Box 20401, 2500 EK The Hague, within six weeks of the date on which this decision was dispatched. Until a decision has been made on the objection, the preliminary relief judge of the court with jurisdiction over the objector’s place of residence may be requested to grant provisional relief.

Advice to shut down wind turbines

Until 2026, the Minister could also issue advices to shut down offshore wind turbines. Unlike a decision, advice did not oblige wind farm owners to shut down the turbines.

Overview

Overview notifications Start/Stop