The North Sea is becoming a central stage in the future European energy map. The Heads of State and Government of nine countries in the region pledged yesterday in Ostend (Belgium) to transform this space into "the largest green power plant in the world" through a clear commitment to wind energy.
"In recent months we have seen what happens when we are too dependent on other countries in terms of energy supply", recalled the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, host of the meeting, referring to the consequences of the war in Ukraine regarding the supply of gas from Russia to Europe. The latest studies on the progress of climate change is the other element that has issued to bet on "joining forces" in the north of Europe in favor of renewable energies.
"Together we will develop the North Sea as a green power plant of Europe, an offshore renewable energy system that will connect our countries" through a common commitment to "hybrid" projects that allow the production of wind energy and green hydrogen, in addition to 'promote carbon storage projects,' says the statement, which opens the door for landlocked countries to co-finance projects in this region, as Luxembourg has done in collaboration with Denmark, for example.
The four founding countries of the so-called North Sea coalition (Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium) have now been joined by France, Ireland, Norway and Luxembourg (the Grand Duchy, they say, is "virtually" a border country , with the United Kingdom represented at ministerial level.Its goal is to develop “at least” 120 gigawatts (GW) of energy by 2030 – four times more than its current capacity – and 300 GW by 2050, an amount sufficient to cover the consumption of 300 million households.
The objectives agreed in Ostend duplicate those raised a year ago at the first North Sea summit in Esbjerg (Denmark), but the purpose of the new meeting was to put in place the means to move "from words to action". In other words, promote the development of projects through the standardization of administrative processes and technical specifications, as well as the reinforcement of the supply chain and "synchronization" between the different countries so as not to overwhelm the current capacities of the European industry.
The artificial island that Belgium will start building next year 45 kilometers from Ostend is expected to play a fundamental role in this new European electricity market. The infrastructure, unique in the world, bears the name of Princess Elizabeth and aims to become an electrical center to which several wind farms can be connected to work in a network and thus strengthen the security of energy supply for the entire region . Projects already under development such as the Nautilus connection between Belgium and the United Kingdom, the Triton Link between Belgium and Denmark, or the Celtic Interconnector that will connect Ireland and France are some of the projects that should benefit from the "common vision" promoted for this North Sea coalition, which also proposes to find a balance between "the needs of economic and ecological development".
However, as a result of the energy crisis and inflation, last year Europe recorded the lowest number of investments in wind power in the last ten years. The challenges are gigantic. Currently the industry only has the capacity to incorporate 7GW of capacity per year and to reach the goal of 2030 this figure should be 22GW per year, warned the European employer of companies specializing in wind energy, Wind Europe. "Public support will be necessary" to solve the current problems of the supply chain, encourage investments and strengthen terrestrial electrical networks.
Protests by environmental groups and collectives such as fishermen, or tensions between Belgium and France as a result of Paris's plans to build a large offshore wind farm in Dunkirk, just 10 kilometers off the Belgian coast, give an idea of the conflicts that can lead to these projects. "When planning parks, it is important that we talk about it, I trust that we will reach a solution", emphasized De Croo, looking at the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
The North Sea "has the potential to produce massive amounts of green hydrogen and become the main corridor for imports", it can "change the rules of the game for Europe", emphasized for her part the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, present in Ostend to show European support for this initiative, which coincides with the plans, less advanced, to develop a hydrogen corridor also from the south of Europe, from Spain and Portugal to France.
Countries in the region have pledged to strengthen the protection of marine and underwater infrastructure in the North Sea, from power lines, internet cables to gas pipelines, and to exchange information systematically in collaboration with the EU and NATO. "We will react effectively to the growing threats," said the statement, signed just days after Nordic media revealed that there are Russian ships sailing with their transponders turned off as they pinpoint the location of key infrastructure in the region.
