As part of the ministerial meeting on energy cooperation in the North Sea, held on Monday 20 November in The Hague, the Netherlands, the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, emphasised the importance of offshore wind energy in speeding up Europe’s energy transition, and discussed the wind energy package recently published by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13278/5).
Introducing her opening address, the Commissioner declared that “the North Sea is on its way to becoming Europe’s ‘green powerhouse’”, pointing out that more than 16 GW of offshore wind energy had been installed in the EU, including around 14 GW in the North Sea.
As she pointed out, the targets set in Ostend in April 2023 (see EUROPE 13168/14) reinforce the ambition and, in total, the Member States have agreed to reach 111 GW of offshore renewables by 2030, which is 10 times the 1.2 GW installed in the EU last year.
She also went back over a number of measures launched by the European Commission, such as the new list of projects of common and mutual interest (PCI/PMI), which will be published at the end of the month, the revised directive on renewable energies (see other news), and above all the wind energy package, which will enable us to “move up a gear”.
Under the Renewable Energy Directive, Ms Simson welcomed the simplification and shortening of permitting procedures for renewable energy and reiterated that the Commission was considering a proposal to extend the temporary permitting regime (see EUROPE 13088/5).
She also announced the next grid action plan, due at the end of the month, and asked all the Member States and industry representatives present to sign up to voluntary commitments under the EU Wind Charter before the end of the year. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)