'15GW every year' | North Seas nations back collective offshore wind tender planning

Eight European Union countries, plus non-member Norway, have agreed to a collective approach to the planning of offshore wind tenders which should lead to the awarding of almost 100GW by the end of the decade.

Meeting in The Hague in the Netherlands, the participants agreed to coordinate the tendering of around 15GW of offshore wind capacity per year as a means of providing investors with a more predictable longer-term pipeline, addressing one of the key demands from industry.

Participants said a collective approach to planning offshore wind tenders is part of a shared ‘action agenda’ to attain an integrated energy system by mid-century, aiming also to achieve a sustainable and resilient supply chain in Europe, and a better balance between energy and nature in the North Seas.

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the European Commission participated in the meeting, while the UK attended with guest status.

“In recent years, North Sea countries shared ambitious plans for sustainable offshore wind energy development. Now, it is time to bring these ambitions into action,” said Rob Jetten, energy and climate minister of the Netherlands which for the past year had co-chaired the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) together with the European Commission.

“We all share the responsibility to develop the North Sea offshore energy plans in a responsible manner, in coordination with other North Sea users and minimizing ecological impact," he said.

“Close collaboration is the only way to successfully reach our energy ambitions.”

Coordinated schedule

The joint tender schedule provided by NSEC is slated to be kicked off next year with the 1.5GW Southern North Sea auction and the 1.5GW Utsira North floating wind auction in Norway, followed by a 2.5GW tender for extensions in the AO5, AO6 and AO7 areas in France.

The Netherlands will then start a 4GW auction for the Ijmuiden Far sites Alpha and Beta, while Germany towards the middle of 2024 will auction off a series of five sites between 1 and 2GW.

Synchronising tendering schedules across the North Seas countries will also facilitate better cooperation and coordination on cables, pipes, harbour infrastructure and access to resources, NSEC said, helping the wind sector with mid- and long-term planning, also financially.

The countries also intend to better coordinate their infrastructure planning at sea.

For that purpose, in January 2024 the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), will publish a shared plan for infrastructure in the North Sea, with input from NSEC countries.

“Europe’s energy mix is becoming cleaner and greener, and offshore renewables will have an indispensable part in the future energy mix,” EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson said.

“The North Sea is leading the way in their deployment, and has the potential to become Europe’s “Green Power Plant.”

As well as the North Sea itself, the North Seas as defined by NSEC also encompasses the North Atlantic (Ireland, France) and the Skagerrak and Kattegat Straits linking the Baltic and North Seas (Sweden, Norway, Denmark).