Nine countries from the North Sea region has made a commitment to make offshore wind and green transition the future of energy supply.
The commitment was made on Monday when leaders of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and the European Commission as well as a UK delegation led by Energy Secretary Grant Shapps met at the second North Sea Summit in Ostend, Belgium.
According to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, their goal is to deliver a greener Europe which is energy independent and can grow in a sustainable way that will see it continue to create jobs and keep heavy industry chemistry and their activities on the European continent.
For her part, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said they are taking an important step in realizing their common ambition.
“We are raising the bar 300 gigawatts of offshore wind in the North Sea by 2050 – the largest electricity system in Europe. Its offshore, it’s green and it is European,” she stressed.
Frederiksen said Russia’s war on Ukraine has also made “absolutely clear that Europe need to produce more energy” itself in reaction to the the importance of accelerating green ambition for Europe.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar stressed the need for ending the use of fossil fuels, saying this urgent action is reinforced by the war in Ukraine.
“We must not just see climate change as a burden however; this is also a moment of opportunity. Wind energy in particular provides real opportunities for Ireland and will help us achieve the ambition I have set for Ireland to become energy independent within a generation,” he was quoted as saying.
French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned “homegrown” industrial development and stressed the importance of a “made in Europe” approach that could be achieved by relying on European expertise and strengthening European industrialists.
Read also: EU okays revamp of Europe’s main climate policy
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the North Sea as “the energy powerhouse right before our front door” that would help Europe become climate neutral, but warned that this will require countries to “think bigger” and strengthen their supply chains.
For her part, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that green hydrogen can be the game changer for Europe, its industries and its economy.
“And the North Sea region has the potential to produce massive amounts of green hydrogen and to become the main corridor for imports,” she said, calling on participant countries to work on cross-border hydrogen projects.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the leaders pledged to aim for 120GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 in the North Sea and northern seas, including the Irish Sea, and 300GW by 2050.
Story was adapted AA.
