According to officials from both countries, Britain and Netherlands have agreed to build a huge undersea electric cable to share the power generated from the offshore wind farms.
Early Step for a North Sea Makeover
This would be an early step toward the plan of the North Sea makeover, which has been the main source of domestically produced oil and natural gas for Europe for decades. The new goal is to make the sea a crucial spot for renewable energy shared among neighboring nations.
Rob Jetten, Dutch minister for climate and energy said that—“Close collaboration on offshore wind energy and interconnection among North Sea countries is imperative,” The cable, LionLink, will aim to share surplus electric power with places that temporarily lack it, he added. Along with creating an efficient system, having multiple markets for energy is also a good prospect for investors.
Need for an Independent Energy Source
The news about the deal came out as the country leaders around the North Sea met in Belgium, pledging to strengthen their offshore wind commitments. In addition to Germany and Belgium, countries like Britain and Netherlands also took part in the meeting, this is especially important due to them not being a part of the European Union.
The lack of Russian gas flows to Europe amid Russia-Ukraine tensions shed light on the need to develop their own independent energy sources. Although, European nations had already taken note of the offshore wind to tackle the problem of climate change.
2022 vs. 2023
While 2022 was underwhelming for offshore wind in terms of investment decisions, the new goals set are giving the industry a boost in 2023. “I see an investment curve that is only going one way, and that’s up,” Lars Aagaard, Denmark’s minister for climate, energy, and utilities, said in a recent interview.
With their significant investment in offshore wind, Both Britain and Netherlands have the vision to expand the turbine-generated power from around their coasts in the next few years.
Grant Shapps, Energy security minister of Britain, said that—the interconnector had the potential to illuminate more homes than the country’s two largest cities, Birmingham and Manchester, combined.
