European offshore wind energy grid: Paul Magnette meets with EUFORES
Wednesday September 15th, Paul Magnette, serving chairman of the Council of EU Energy Ministers, was invited by the European and national MPs from EUFORES (European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources) in Brussels.
The goal of this meeting was to debate about the importance of developing an offshore wind energy grid in the North Seas of Europe. The materialisation of the European Supergrid is indeed one of the priorities of the Belgian Presidency in the field of energy.
It all started in December 2009 when the Energy Ministers of 9 European countries (Ireland and the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, France and Germany –and later also followed by Norway-) signed a political declaration on the North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative.
The 10 Ministers agreed to cooperate in order to optimise the production and use of offshore renewable energy. As a result, grid operators, regulators as well as market players are working out a roadmap with a view to setting up this offshore grid in the North Seas. The potential of offshore wind energy in the North Seas is tremendous, even exceeding the corresponding potential of oil in the Middle East.
This concerted approach is supported by the European Commission. « The creation of an integrated offshore grid is one of the Commission’s six priorities as regards energy infrastructure », explained Paul Magnette. « This grid is essential to meet the EU’s energy needs in terms of both the security of electricity supply and the targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions. »
Such cooperation between Member States is of paramount importance considering the economic, technical, legal and environmental challenges faced as well as the transport of the energy generated offshore to the mainland.
In order to create such a large interconnected grid a cooperation agreement is in the pipeline and will be signed under the Belgian Presidency.
