Leaders and energy ministers meeting at the North Sea Summit in Hamburg agreed to step up cooperation to speed up offshore energy and hydrogen projects in the region.
A series of declarations signed at the summit set out actions and timelines to reduce investment risks for cross-border electricity grid connections and to strengthen the energy system against physical, cyber or hybrid attacks, the European Commission announced on Monday, welcoming the summit results.
Three documents were signed: a Leaders’ Declaration on building a North Seas power hub, a Joint Offshore Wind Investment Pact involving political leaders, industry and transmission system operators (companies that run high-voltage electricity networks), and a Ministerial Declaration on closer coordination to accelerate offshore wind and hydrogen projects.
EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen said Europe needed to “double down on clean, safe, home-grown energy” and strengthen interconnections so that “affordable energy can flow freely across our continent.”
Coordination and next steps
Leaders also pledged closer coordination on planning, cost-sharing and financing of cross-border offshore projects, and on jobs, skills and targeted research and development.
Work will be coordinated through the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) High-level Group, with the European Commission as co-president.
The summit was attended by EU countries Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Denmark, as well as Norway, Iceland and the UK, alongside representatives of the European Commission and NATO.
