The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Belgium are increasing the capacity of wind turbines tenfold. Capacity should reach 65 gigawatts by 2030 and 150 gigawatts by 2050. This is expected to be enough to supply some 200 million European households with green power.
German Chancellor Scholz, Belgian Prime Minister De Croo, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Dutch Prime Minister Rutte recently signed a declaration to this effect in the Danish city of Esbjerg. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as well as climate ministers from the countries concerned were also present, including Climate and Energy Minister Jetten.
Energy islands
The countries want to create a common energy grid in the North Sea. This will involve so-called 'energy islands', bringing power to the mainland via cables running over the seabed. The combination of high wind power and a shallow seabed make the North Sea an attractive location for wind farms.
On the one hand, the energy is intended to power homes. It is estimated that the increased production capacity could eventually supply around 200 million European households with green energy. Part of the green power the countries want to use to produce hydrogen. This hydrogen should replace fossil fuels, particularly in industry.
In line with plea from TenneT
The decision follows a plea made by Manon van Beek, CEO of grid operator TenneT, at the North Sea Wind Summit in Esbjerg. At this event, the European plan was also announced. "To meet the new, very ambitious climate targets, we need even more cooperation in European energy markets. We should take this opportunity today to intensify our cooperation, as a group of like-minded partners. Together, we can make the North Sea the driving force behind Europe's future of affordable, secure and green energy. To succeed, we must take a fully international approach to the energy transition and work together with all North Sea countries," said Manon van Beek, CEO of TenneT.
Van Beek points to three things that need to be taken care of to maintain Europe's leading position in offshore technology:
- Setting a reliable growth path: a reliable growth path can be achieved by developing offshore wind in the most efficient location in Europe. This requires three commitments: European coordination on locations for new wind farms, roll-out schedules and reliable tendering arrangements that allow everyone to invest in time.
- Accelerating crossborder cooperation: Van Beek calls interconnected offshore systems that enable electricity exchange between countries and provide security of supply for all the future. Such cross-border projects should be a compelling and investment case for all parties involved, including offshore wind farms. The right incentives at EU and national level are needed, reports Van Beek.
- Technical interoperability concerns: high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology is so new that components from different suppliers do not work well together. It is not possible to connect a converter station supplied by different manufacturers. TenneT was involved in developing a supplier-neutral standard for next-generation HVDC technology. The parties ask the European Commission to support this by adopting the standard in the short term.
Dutch plans
The Netherlands has long been committed to increasing the production capacity of offshore wind turbines. Last month, the government announced that capacity must be doubled from over 10 gigawatts now to 21 gigawatts by 2030. In doing so, the government reported that this target is the maximum achievable for the coming years. It is unclear how the plans for additional generation capacity in the North Sea relate to this.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: Steppinstars via Pixabay
