North Sea countries reaffirm their ambitions for offshore wind

During the North Sea Summit in Hamburg, it became clear how profoundly the role of the North Sea has shifted: from an energy production site to a strategic lever for Europe’s energy security, economy and geopolitical position. Nine European countries reaffirmed their shared commitment to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind, in close cooperation with industry and transmission system operators.

The participating countries - Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom - highlighted the growing importance of the North Sea for Europe’s strategic autonomy and industrial resilience.

Belgium was represented at the summit by Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Minister of the North Sea Annelies Verlinden. Prime Minister De Wever explicitly underlined the importance of closer cooperation between the North Sea countries.

With this statement, De Wever places offshore wind not only in a climate context, but firmly within an industrial and strategic framework. Energy infrastructure is increasingly seen as a key European lever, with the protection of critical offshore infrastructure and shipping routes gaining in importance.

During the summit, the Joint Offshore Wind Investment Pact for the North Seas was also signed. The pact confirms, among other things:

• a shared ambition to reach 300 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050;
• a commitment from industry to invest up to €1,000 billion;
• a target to reduce the cost of offshore wind by 30% by 2040;
• the creation of 91,000 additional jobs in relevant sectors.

In turn, the governments commit to providing investment certainty through stable regulatory frameworks and market mechanisms, including systems with guaranteed electricity prices.

In addition to national projects, cooperation on cross-border offshore wind was further strengthened. In the so-called Hamburg Declaration, the North Sea countries agree to develop up to 100 GW of cross-border offshore wind capacity by 2050. This means that wind farms and grids will increasingly serve multiple countries simultaneously.

Strong emphasis was also placed on the link with offshore hydrogen production, smart grids and energy islands. The North Sea is thus evolving into an integrated European energy hub, where energy production, transport and storage are more closely aligned.

In Belgium, uncertainty remains regarding the further rollout of offshore wind, partly due to the postponement of the auction for the first wind farm in the Princess Elisabeth Zone. Policy certainty and a clear investment framework remain essential to realise Belgium’s ambitions. In Hamburg, Prime Minister De Wever indicated that the new tender will be launched “within a few months”.

These European ambitions open up significant prospects for the blue economy. The large-scale deployment of offshore wind creates opportunities in areas such as:

• maritime and offshore technologies;
• installation, maintenance and digitalisation;
• energy infrastructure and grid integration;
• ecological and multi-use of marine space;
• cooperation between companies, ports and knowledge institutions.

The North Sea Summit thus confirms that the energy transition at sea is not only a climate story, but also an economic and industrial project in which innovation and cooperation take centre stage.