The North Sea has long been home to some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and has housed hundreds of rigs to produce oil and natural gas. Now, if European leaders have their way, in the next few years, this shallow, often turbulent waters will have the potential to cut carbon dioxide emissions and further cut fossil fuel imports from China. Hundreds of billions of dollars worth of investments could be made. Russia.
At the summit meeting held in the Belgian port of Ostend in April, 9 European governments pledged Collaborate to nearly quadruple by 2030 and nearly tenfold by 2050 the already substantial offshore wind capacity in the North Sea and adjacent waters.
Crucially, the meeting, which was attended by European Union President Ursula von der Leyen, also included Britain, which has recently undergone a painful divorce from the EU, and Norway, which is also not a member of the EU. The offshore areas surrounding these two countries have the greatest potential for investment in wind power.
The purpose of including all these countries is “to give the prospect of making the North Sea the world’s largest green energy power plant by consolidating all these coastlines,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Cruz said in an interview. rice field.
Government official de Cruz, who hosted the meeting, said it was vital for Britain, the world leader in offshore wind power, to participate despite Brexit. “Geographically, they’re not going to move,” he said. “In many ways they will remain very important partners,” he added.
Seven EU member states with a North Sea coast, including Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and France, participated in the conference. Ireland is just a short distance from mainland England. And Luxembourg, which Mr. de Cruz described as “the de facto North Sea country.”
The push for offshore wind is driven by a combination of growing concerns about climate change and a recent determination to achieve energy independence from Russia, which has long been a major supplier of oil and gas to Europe. is.
Last winter, Russia tried to use gas as a weapon against Europe in its war with Ukraine. The Russian government’s supply manipulation has pushed up energy prices in Europe, but has also convinced its best customers, Germany and other European countries, that they need to find other sources of energy.
There are other reasons for Europe to look to the North Sea as an alternative energy source. The coast of Northern Europe is blessed with strong winds and shallow water, making it suitable for installing turbines. The modern offshore wind industry, which primarily originated in Northern Europe, already generates a significant share of electricity in several countries, with 25 per cent in Denmark and 15 per cent in the UK in 2022. According to WindEurope,Industry group.
Finding alternative energy sources is one of the topics discussed by business, political and policy leaders. London Climate Action Weekwill continue until July 2nd.
Europe is also home to some of the world’s largest turbine manufacturers, including one based in Denmark. Vestas wind system Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, headquartered in Spain, is a leader in offshore machinery.
More spending on wind power would strengthen an industry that employs an estimated 300,000 people in Europe. While there are fears that the transition to renewable energy will devastate oil-industry hubs such as Stavanger, Norway and Aberdeen, Scotland, some oil and gas workers are relying on offshore wind power. Some are finding jobs in power generation.
Achieving Europe’s very ambitious goal of building more offshore wind will not be easy. With lead times of five years or more (depending on leasing and actual construction), “if you’re targeting 2023, the earliest you can get steel to market is 2027 or 2028. ‘ said Soren. “It’s been a long time coming,” said Lassen, head of offshore wind research at consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.
Europe may have some of the biggest turbine makers, but heavy investment in new models, inflation and other problems are hurting the financial performance of these companies. They and their suppliers may find it difficult to pay to scale up production as quickly as needed. Wind farm developers say they will proceed cautiously, but building many large structures offshore, including artificial islands (currently planned), will inevitably affect the marine environment.
Still, the overall direction seems clear. It is the increasing use of renewable energy to replace polluting fossil fuels. Offshore wind farms are attractive to investors and produce large amounts of electricity. “A massive expansion of offshore wind makes sense given the large amount of green power needed,” said Carsten Kapion, senior analyst at Danish research firm Conseat.
A large project currently under construction will have turbines with blades over 300 feet long, capable of supplying enough power to light hundreds of thousands of homes.
Industry executives say the North Sea could also become a promising testing ground for the energy trades needed to balance a system dominated by renewables such as wind and solar. Because these energy sources are variable, in order to operate efficiently, we need a way to offload or store power during times of overproduction, and access flows from elsewhere during times of shortage.
A network of high-capacity cables already traverses the North Sea floor, allowing power to flow to the market at the highest price. For example, in some cases one of these interconnectors may send power generated by a nuclear power plant in France to the UK, or hydroelectric power from Norway to Germany.
Such connections will be essential as renewable resources become a larger part of the energy system. “Integrating renewable energy into current and future systems will create a need for cooperation,” said Hilde Ton, chief executive of Norwegian grid operator Statnet. North Sea and offshore wind power “are opportunities to do whatever it takes with renewable energy systems,” she added.
This change has already spawned some futuristic innovations. Next year, a barge and crane will begin work on an artificial island in the North Sea about 30 miles off the coast of Belgium. made mostly of sand princess elizabeth island Covering about 60 acres of seabed, it could cost about $2 billion.
Some energy industry insiders say the island is a harbinger of a future in which much of Europe’s power grid will be located offshore. The futuristic-looking structure, complete with high walls to protect it from the sea, will serve as a hub for power cables from a large wind farm planned for nearby waters. Cables will also connect these facilities to another planned island off the coast of Denmark and the UK.
“Over time, we will have a complete North Sea network of hubs of this kind,” said Chris Peters, chief executive of the Belgian grid operator Area, which is building the island. rice field.
Other plans for energy islands are also underway. Renewable energy investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners wants to build an island off the coast of Denmark where it can set up machinery to turn wind into hydrogen, considered the clean fuel of the future. “We believe that getting the infrastructure out there is much more cost effective and also creates a lot of new value,” said Thomas Dalsgaard, the executive in charge of planning the project.
Building massive structures in the ocean to combat climate change is not without environmental risks. Fisheries activist Philippe de Votte of the Belgian environmental group Climaxi said the impact on local fisheries, as well as marine life such as crabs and lobsters, is unknown.
He also worries about the impact of large corporations expanding into the maritime world. “The sea is no longer the sea. It is becoming an industrial zone,” he said.
