Europe’s Largest Green Power Plant Will Set Sail in the North Sea

During a summit taking place in Ostend, Belgium, nine European countries vowed to multiply by eight their capacity of offshore wind farms before 2050, turning the North Sea into a giant green power plant.

“We are unlocking our offshore energy ambitions,” states the Belgian energy minister, Tinne van der Straeten. “Coordination is absolutely essential. If each of the nine countries acts alone, we’ll collectively fail. Planning is at the core of everything.”

France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Britain have all pledged to build more wind farms, develop energy islands – connecting renewable generation sites at sea – and work on carbon capture projects. Offshore wind capacity needs to generate 120GW by 2030, and 300GW by 2050. To reach such high numbers, an estimated $881 billion must be invested, with infrastructure produced and jobs created in Europe. “Offshore wind energy will probably be the main source of renewable energy production between 2030 and 2050, far ahead of solar energy and land wind farms,” says French President Emmanuel Macron.