Europe Commits to Vast New Wind Power Grid in North Sea
- Editor OGN Daily
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
The UK and nine other European countries have agreed a landmark pact to turn the ageing oil basin into a “clean energy reservoir”.
The countries have agreed to build windfarms at sea that directly connect to multiple nations through high-voltage subsea cables, in order to provide enough electricity capacity to power 143m homes from offshore wind power.
This 100GW commitment, called the “Hamburg declaration”, has been signed by energy ministers from the UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway. The new deal in the North Sea could help attract €1 trillion ($1.18tn) in offshore wind investment by 2040, according to WindEurope, an industry body.
The latest agreement reaffirms Europe’s commitment to wind power, after North Sea countries promised three years ago to build 300GW of offshore wind in the area by 2050 - enough to power over 400m homes. The new offshore wind power grid will contribute to this target.
This follows the good news that in 2025, wind and solar overtook fossil fuels in the EU’s power generation for the first time - generating 30 percent of the bloc’s electricity. And earlier this month, the UK government awarded record subsidy contracts for offshore wind projects, in a boost for its ambitious goal of creating a 100 percent clean electricity system by 2030.
On the new offshore wind agreement, The Guardian reports Dhara Vyas, the chief executive of Energy UK, said: “This deeper cooperation on supply chains, standardisation and shared infrastructure is not just a strategic necessity, it is the most effective way to bring down energy costs for households and businesses while fuelling sustainable economic growth and high-value jobs for years to come.”
