NORTH SEA SUMMIT

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Context

9 European nations set to turn North Sea into green power plant. The declaration, signed at the second North Sea Summit in Ostend, Belgium, sets ambitious targets including the production of at least 120 GW of offshore wind energy in the North Sea by 2030

Details of the declaration

The signatory countries also aim to double their total offshore wind capacity to at least 300 GW by 2050.
The declaration aims to accelerate the deployment of offshore renewables and connectivity within the maritime area encompassed by the signatory countries
It focuses on the mass production of offshore wind and renewable hydrogen, as well as on electricity and hydrogen interconnections and national projects. The declaration also indicates the possibility of co-financing by countries that do not have direct access to the sea.
The nine signatory countries have committed to take measures to promote the balanced coexistence of renewable energy deployment, biodiversity and environmental protection, as well as to contribute to the health and robustness of marine ecosystems.

About the summit

Members

This second edition of the North Sea Summit brought together the heads of state and government and energy ministers of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Ireland, Norway and the UK, as well as the president of the European Commission and the commissioner for energy.

Background

This declaration is the successor to the Esbjerg declaration, which resulted from the first summit in Denmark on May 18, 2022.
At the time, the consequences of the war in Ukraine were beginning to be felt in the energy market.
Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands came together to form the "North Sea Coalition" and to coordinate their actions to combat dependence on gas and fossil fuels.
The choice for Esbjerg was no accident, since the coastal town is known all over the world as a centre of excellence for the offshore industry.

First edition

This first edition of the North Sea Summit resulted in a declaration formalizing the ambition of the four founding countries to quadruple their combined offshore power generation capacity to 150 GW by 2050 (150 GW is the annual electricity consumption of 150 million European households).
Such commitments will make the North Sea the largest sustainable energy plant in Europe.
To achieve this, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands committed in Esbjerg to collaborate and connect their wind farms as much as possible.

About North Sea

The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north.
It is more than 970 kilometres long.
It hosts key north European shipping lanes and is a major fishery.
The coast is a popular destination for recreation and tourism in bordering countries, and a rich source of energy resources, including wind and wave power.
The North Sea has featured prominently in geopolitical and military affairs, particularly in Northern Europe, from the Middle Ages to the modern era.