Vattenfall has pulled out of the tender for the 700MW Hollandse Kust North offshore wind zone in the Netherlands citing uncertainty over the impact of COVID-19.

The Swedish developer, seen as among the favourites in the auction that opens on 2 April, said it was unwilling to bid due to lower power prices and potential issues in the supply chain as a result of the pandemic.

A spokesman said it was a “difficult decision” for the company that was not taken lightly, but the focus is now on its existing projects.

“We have decided to pull out due to COVID-19. We think there is a lot of uncertainty right now and feel it better to focus on our core activities, the assets we have got and to deliver the projects that we have in the pipeline,” he said.

Any delay to the zero-subsidy tender, which runs to 30 April, is up to the government, he said.

However, if Dutch authorities decide to push back the round it should be put on ice for at least six months, he said.

Vattenfall remains committed to building the 1.5GW Hollandse Kust Zuid project, which it won the rights to in previous rounds, the spokesman added.

Developers looking to secure the 125 square kilometre HKN site can lodge solo bids or as part or consortia.

A panel of judges will score each bid across a range of criteria before allocating the site to a developer. The project is due online from 2023.