Luxembourg, 06/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - The energy ministers of the member states of the EU with northern sea shores (Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden) plus Norway signed a political declaration with the European Commission, plus an action plan to reinforce their energy cooperation, on the sidelines of the Energy Council of Monday 6 June in Luxembourg. The aim, amongst other things, is to stimulate the rise of offshore wind power and facilitate the construction of the missing electricity links between these countries and thereby further integrate their energy markets.
Through this agreement, four specific working groups in four fields of action will make progress over the next two years towards harmonising the maritime planning rules, aid regimes and technical standards, network development schemes and the standardisation of windfarm spare parts. In this framework, the participating countries will examine the legal aspects related to these issues and may conclude technical agreements on practical aspects such as signalling or health and safety.
The special planning work will aim to optimise the use of limited space in intensively-exploited maritime areas. They will relate to the sharing of data, the definition of common approaches to deal with environmental impacts and the coordination of the authorisation procedures.
Joint work will also be carried out, firstly to guarantee a coordinated development of the electricity network so that it can handle large volumes of wind energy produced offshore and, secondly, to guarantee an adequate level of inter-connection between the national networks to allow the energy to circulate when and where needs arise. The work will also look for possible synergies with offshore oil and gas activities.
There will also be an exchange of information on the specific needs of the participating countries in terms of offshore operating infrastructure, in order to facilitate the planning of investments, the harmonisation of aid regimes and the mobilisation of capital for joint projects.
Lastly, the cooperation agreement will inventorise and exchange best practices and methods to harmonise technical rules and standards throughout the region. Aiming to reduce the costs along the entire life-cycle of the production facilities, the participating countries will seek to set in place mutual recognition of national standards.
According to the Commission, a coordinated approach to the development of the European offshore energy network could help to save up to €5.1 billion. Increased coordination would make it possible to use fewer and shorter cables to connect offshore wind power facilities to land and it would also be profitable in terms of a greater integration of the markets, facilitated by new inter-connectors. Furthermore, closer cooperation in environmental and marine management matters in the framework of the development of infrastructure would also provide commensurate advantages, the Commission stresses. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)