The Head of State & Government of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK meet today in Ostend to agree new commitments on offshore wind in the North Seas.
They are joined by the President of the European Commission, their respective national Energy Ministers and the EU Energy Commissioner – and by over 100 CEOs from across the offshore wind value chain. It’s by far the biggest ever political Summit on energy in the North Seas. The aim: make the North Seas a renewable powerhouse for Europe.
This means increasing offshore wind capacity. But it also means developing the offshore wind grid of the future. Today offshore wind farms traditionally have point-to-point connections to shore, delivering renewable electricity to one onshore landing point only. In the future hybrid offshore wind farms will serve as interconnectors between countries and deliver their electricity to multiple markets. An interconnected and meshed offshore wind grid will distribute electricity more efficiently, improve supply security, lower the costs for offshore wind and reduce its impact on maritime biodiversity.
In an Industry Declaration more than 100 companies, representing the whole value chain of offshore wind and renewable hydrogen in Europe, welcome that the nine Governments want to reinforce their offshore wind ambitions at today’s North Sea Summit. The Industry Declaration outlines the urgent need to strengthen Europe’s wind energy manufacturing capacities. The signatories stress that an expansion of offshore wind in the North Seas in line with Europe’s net-zero targets must be made in Europe.
