Six European governments have joined transmission system operators (TSOs), leading wind energy companies and NGOs in committing to accelerating the deployment of offshore wind at Wind Europe’s 2022 Annual Event in Bilbao.
The governments of Germany, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK and Estonia, alongside TSOs National Grid Ventures, Elia, 50Hz, Tennet, LitGrid, and wind industry representatives pledged to collaborate, cooperate and coordinate measures to support offshore wind deployment.
They have pledged to fast-forward fixed and floating offshore wind and grids to maximise the benefits for European consumers, strengthen security of supply and help drive decarbonisation of the economy and society.
The signatories have committed to work together to provide a visible pipeline of offshore wind projects and hybrid interconnectors, and to remove regulatory and permitting barriers.
They aim to coordinate the design of tenders and identify best practices in national support schemes, including the use of non-price criteria.
The parties will also cooperate on identifying new areas for offshore wind build-out as part of national maritime spatial planning regimes.
The signatories aim to establish regulatory frameworks for offshore wind and offshore hybrid projects that secure a predictable long-term market environment and sustainable business models.
This includes developing market arrangements for offshore hybrids that fairly distribute the costs and benefits between countries, TSOs and offshore wind farm developers.
In addition, the signatories will cooperate to identify hybrid projects that can be deployed quickly.
This will lead to a more efficient deployment of infrastructure, optimise sea use, and protect the maritime environment, whilst reducing the impact on coastal communities, they said.
The statement also called for the scale-up of innovation in technologies that enable better integration of offshore wind into the power grid, such as the interoperability of HVDC technology.
It calls on the European Commission to support the implementation of this statement, which is line with the objectives set in the EU Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy and by the European response to the Ukraine crisis.
The EU is looking for an additional 30GW of wind energy by 2030 to help replace a significant part of Russian fossil fuel imports well before the end of this decade.
It has already established targets for offshore wind, which called for 60GW by 2030 and 300GW by 2050.
Together with the UK and Norway, Europe could have up to 450GW of offshore wind in operation by 2050.
National Grid Ventures president Cordi O’Hara said: “This is a critical moment for the energy industry across Europe, including the UK and Norway.
“We need more offshore wind to strengthen security of supply and drive decarbonisation, and we need new cutting-edge technologies like hybrid interconnectors to connect wind faster and cheaper.
“But we can only be successful if we work together.
“Today is a fantastic step, because the signatories of this statement collectively possess the resources, ambition, experience, and capabilities to make this happen for the benefit of all Europeans.”
WindEurope chief executive Giles Dickson said: “Europe needs more than ever to tap into its wind energy resources to improve its energy security.
“It’s great that governments, TSOs and industry players want to double down on offshore wind to strengthen Europe’s energy security.
“Europe urgently needs visibility on offshore wind volumes, a coordinated approach to grid planning and the right regulatory framework for new business models such as offshore hybrids to take off.”