Energy, EU – Baltic States, Investments, Legislation

The cooperation’s aim (reached in Luxembourg on the 6^th of June 2016) is to create good conditions for the development of offshore wind energy in order to ensure a sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply in the North Seas countries, which include Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

A political declaration and action plan signed during the Luxembourg’s Council Presidency by nine Ministers and the Commission (by Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič and by Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete), will also facilitate the building of missing electricity links, allow more trading of energy and further integration of energy markets.

Reinforcing regional cooperation will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance security of supply in the region; the latter are key objectives of the EU’s Energy Union.

Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič underlined that the declaration has been an important step towards European Energy Union that will deliver on the climate commitments the EU made in Paris COP-21 in 2015. He added that “close regional cooperation and pooling together of energy sources” would be essential to unlock the full potential of the North Sea resources at the lowest possible cost.  

Commissioner Arias Cañete said that the declaration marked “a turning point in cooperation in the North Seas region” as the states have had now a concrete action plan that will deliver results. The new energy strategy, he added would boost interconnection and renewables capacity, help fight climate change and bolster energy security, which have been the central goals of the European Energy Union.  

North Sea states’ cooperation

Energy cooperation between nine countries will focus on four main areas:

- Spatial planning, which will aim at optimising the use of limited space in this intensively used sea. This will include data sharing, finding common approaches to environmental impacts, and the coordination of permitting procedures.

- The electricity grid has to be developed so that it is able to accommodate large scale offshore wind energy. Markets should be well connected to allow electricity to flow when and where it is needed. The regional work in this field will include coordinated grid planning and development, but also exploring potential synergies with the offshore oil and gas sectors.

- In future participating countries will share information about their individual offshore infrastructure needs. This will help plan the investments as well as align support schemes and mobilise investment capital for joint projects.

- The states would identify best practices and ways to harmonise technical rules and standards across the region. The cooperation also aims to reduce costs throughout the lifecycle of generation facilities. To achieve this, the participating countries will work towards mutual recognition of national standards.

Several previous Commission studies have shown the potential for up to €5.1 billion worth of savings when taking a coordinated approach to offshore grid development. This is due to fewer and shorter cables being required to connect offshore wind installations to land.

There are also clear benefits to further market integration, facilitated by new interconnectors.

Finally, gains could be realised by closer cooperation on environmental and marine management with respect to infrastructure development.

More information on the issue:

= The text of the political declaration is available on the website of DG Energy.

Reference: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-2029_en.htm?locale=en