Nine European countries met at a summit in Belgium on Monday to seal their common ambition to increase their wind power capacity in the North Sea tenfold, a colossal industrial challenge to accelerate the decarbonization of the continent.
“This is a decisive day to make this North Sea the largest green power plant in the world,” insisted Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, at the end of the summit in Ostend on the Flemish side. Seven European Union countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Luxembourg) as well as Norway and the United Kingdom have committed to collectively increase their North Sea wind energy capacity to 120 gigawatts by 2030 and at least 300 GW by 2050, compared to the current cumulative capacity of approximately 30 GW. Wind farms, but also connection infrastructures, industrial chains, green hydrogen projects…
Beyond the partnerships outlined in their final declaration, the nine signatory states want to coordinate their policies and calls for tender, strengthen production chains and simplify administrative procedures. In the shallow North Sea, wind turbines can be installed in large numbers not too far from the coast, in wind conditions that allow electricity to be produced at costs that are considered very competitive.
The targets are very ambitious: while the UK already has 14 GW of offshore wind and Germany 8 GW, the capacities of Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands are between 2 and 3 GW, and those of France and Norway are only about 0.5. In the declaration, France aims at least 2.1 GW by 2030, and “between 4.6 and 17 GW” by 2050 in the North Sea and the English Channel. Paris has previously announced a target of 40 GW of offshore wind power on the entire French coastline by 2050.
To make this acceleration a reality, French President Emmanuel Macron called in Ostend for “securing the entire industrial sector”. “We want a European industry to produce” wind turbines and infrastructure, “and not replicate the mistakes we may have made” in the past by massively importing components and materials for the deployment of photovoltaic, he insisted. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called for “securing supplies” of critical materials (notably rare earths) for which Europe remains heavily dependent on imports, particularly from China. Luxembourg, without a coastline, wants to contribute to the financing. “I bring money and I get some energy back,” laughed his Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
Colossal investments
After a first meeting of four countries in May 2022 in Denmark, this second “North Sea Summit” is in line with Europe’s climate objectives as well as the desire to drastically reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels following the war in Ukraine.
The EU recently agreed to double the share of renewables in its energy consumption to 42.5% by 2030, in particular by speeding up infrastructure approval procedures. Brussels also proposed regulatory relief for green industries in mid-March.
However, to achieve the Ostend objectives, “major new investments are needed in production capacity and supporting infrastructure (…) The planned policies are insufficient for the time being”, reacted in a joint statement some 100 companies. “Europe has a technological and industrial leadership, but does not produce enough of certain crucial elements (nacelles, blades, cables). A lot of funding is already going to innovation, the challenge is to invest in existing production structures whose capacity must be doubled or tripled,” Pierre Tardieu, from the industry federation WindEurope, told AFP.
Within five years, the European industry should be manufacturing the equivalent of 20 GW of offshore wind turbines per year, compared to the current capacity of around 7 GW, with the risk of saturated factories and bottlenecks. “Turbine manufacturers are currently operating at a loss, hit hard by logistical disruptions following the Covid, we need a one-time public support,” insists Mr. Tardieu, noting also the massive needs for training and recruitment: offshore wind will require 250,000 jobs in 2030, against 80,000 today.
The total cost looks colossal: at the end of 2020, Brussels estimated the investment needs at 800 billion euros if the EU aimed at 300 GW of offshore wind power by 2050.
Environmental NGOs are calling for the impact studies on marine biodiversity not to be rushed and WindEurope is pointing to the constraints related to fishing and transport. “But to achieve these objectives of wind turbines, we need only 7% to 10% of the sea basin,” moderates Pierre Tardieu.
