North Sea countries sign investment pact for wind energy
The countries around the North Sea, including Belgium, have signed an investment pact with the offshore wind industry and grid operators for the expansion of wind power production in the North Sea. The declaration, which was signed on Monday during a summit in Hamburg, provides, amongst others, for offshore wind farms to be connected to various neighbouring countries via power links.
The participating countries have set themselves the target of jointly developing 100 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2050. At the same time, the wind energy and grid industries will gain greater planning and investment certainty thanks to the guarantee that tenders for offshore wind will continue to be issued after 2030. In exchange, the sector has committed to reducing the cost of electricity production by 30 per cent by 2040. In addition, by 2030, no less than 9.5 billion euros will be invested in new production capacity in Europe and 91,000 new jobs will be created.
“With the consistent expansion and intelligent interconnection of offshore energy, we are creating affordable, clean and secure energy, reducing our strategic dependence and increasing European resilience,” said German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche.
Host country Germany had invited the heads of state and ministers of Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway. Prime minister Bart De Wever and North Sea minister Annelies Verlinden were present on behalf of Belgium. NATO and the European Commission also participated in the summit. Although it does not border the North Sea, Iceland attended as well.
#FlandersNewsService | Denmark's prime minister Mette Frederiksen, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgium's prime minister Bart De Wever during the North Sea Summit in Hamburg © PHOTO Ronny HARTMANN / AFP
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