Applying the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) to the 9.5 GW Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea, The Netherlands

The SAVi analysis demonstrates that while a coal power plant appears more profitable under a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario, the offshore wind farm becomes the superior financial option when externalities and climate risks are integrated. Specifically, accounting for externalities reduces the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for offshore wind to EUR 65 per MWh compared to EUR 171 per MWh for coal. When physical risks (1.5°C temperature increase) and transitional risks (a carbon tax of EUR 16.27/MWh) are added, the coal plant's internal rate of return (IRR) drops to 0%, while the wind farm maintains an IRR of approximately 17%. The analysis also estimates that the offshore wind project would create 2,780 full-time equivalent jobs.

• Under a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario that ignores externalities and climate risks, coal is the more profitable technology, featuring a lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of EUR 46.08 per MWh compared to EUR 72.93 per MWh for offshore wind, and a higher internal rate of return (IRR) of 23.43% versus 14.39%.
• Integrating the value of positive and negative externalities reverses the financial advantage; the LCOE for offshore wind decreases to EUR 65.22 per MWh and its IRR increases to 16.61%, while coal's LCOE increases to EUR 171.08 per MWh and its IRR drops to 3.89%.
• The inclusion of physical climate risks (a 1.5°C temperature increase) and transitional risks (a carbon tax of EUR 16.27/MWh) further degrades the coal plant's viability, reducing its IRR to 0% and its debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) to 0.16x, while the offshore wind farm remains stable with an IRR of 16.61% and a DSCR of 1.58x.
• The offshore wind project is estimated to generate 2,780 full-time equivalent jobs and results in significantly lower life-cycle CO2 emissions (19.6 million tonnes) compared to coal (1,661.5 million tonnes).

APA

Bassi, A. M., Pallaske, G., Uzsoki, D., Perera, O., & Casier, L. (n.d.). Applying the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) to the 9.5 GW Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea, The Netherlands. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/savi-wind-farm-netherlands-brochure.pdf

Chicago

Bassi, Andrea M., Georg Pallaske, David Uzsoki, Oshani Perera, and Liesbeth Casier. Applying the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) to the 9.5 GW Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea, The Netherlands. International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/savi-wind-farm-netherlands-brochure.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bassi |first1=Andrea M. |last2=Pallaske |first2=Georg |last3=Uzsoki |first3=David |last4=Perera |first4=Oshani |last5=Casier |first5=Liesbeth |title=Applying the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) to the 9.5 GW Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea, The Netherlands |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/savi-wind-farm-netherlands-brochure.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bassindapplying, author = {Bassi, Andrea M. and Pallaske, Georg and Uzsoki, David and Perera, Oshani and Casier, Liesbeth}, title = {{Applying the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) to the 9.5 GW Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea, The Netherlands}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/savi-wind-farm-netherlands-brochure.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }