In a joint declaration on Thursday 6 November, the eight energy ministers from the member countries of the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) platform and the European Commission highlighted the opportunities offered by offshore wind energy, as well as the problems, such as rising costs due to market pressures and supply chain constraints.
The platform met on 5 and 6 November in Ostend (Belgium) to take stock of the progress made over 15 years of collaborating together and to define the programme for the future.
With a view to transforming the North Sea region into an “offshore interconnection hub”, the members of the NSEC in particular welcome the initiative to collaborate with the European Investment Bank’s advisory centre on financing and risk mitigation solutions for cross-border infrastructures.
They also highlight the creation of a database of planned offshore wind farms, to support the coordination of maritime spatial planning in the region. They also welcome the update of the NSEC Tender Planning Tool to share information on non-price criteria and to improve visibility for the supply chain.
They go on to call for progress on offshore renewable hydrogen infrastructure and to support close cooperation with the UK, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties signed in 2022.
For the European Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jørgensen, the NSEC “will remain a cornerstone for removing bottlenecks in our infrastructure to complete the Energy Union, driving progress in offshore renewables and infrastructure”. They also added: “The upcoming European Grids Package will be a vital partner in that mission”. This set of regulations is due to be presented on 10 December.
To see the joint declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/jcd (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)