Eight countries bordering the Baltic have jointly agreed a huge increase in offshore wind capacity in the region
At the Baltic Energy Security Summit held 30 August 2022 in Marienborg, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Lithuania, Finland and Poland agreed a combined ambition for offshore wind in the Baltic of at least 19.6 GW by 2030, seven times the current capacity.
The declaration also set a long-term target of 93 GW. The leaders of the eight states also agreed to pursue faster permitting processes and strive for a balance between economic and environmental needs.
“We call for urgent and immediate action to increase energy resilience by making Europe independent of Russian energy as soon as possible,” said the declaration.
“As countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, we are ready to respond to Russian aggression in the field of energy. We are determined to strengthen our energy co-operation and energy resilience in support of our efforts to phase out our dependency on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible while contributing to climate neutrality in the EU.”
The declaration noted the “substantial but largely untapped potential for offshore wind” in the Baltic, which it said, “can accelerate the phase out of Russian energy by replacing fossil fuels through electrification, increasing renewable fuels, diversifying and decarbonising gas networks, increased sector integration and a green hydrogen economy, including necessary transmission and pipeline infrastructure.”
Leaders signing the document also called for development of adequate power generation capacities, stronger grids and interconnections while removing internal bottlenecks and said a well-functioning internal energy market will increase resilience and energy security.
In the declaration, the leaders of the Baltic states also agreed to explore joint cross-border renewable energy projects and identify infrastructure needs to enable the integration of renewable energy, to ensure security of supply and affordable energy while respecting member states’ national energy policy priorities and their choice of energy mix.
“To achieve this, we agree to strengthen co-operation at the political level among the member states around the Baltic Sea regarding energy security, including by accelerating renewable energy supply,” said the declaration. “Co-operation will be an integral part of the Baltic energy market interconnection plan (BEMIP) and, where relevant, involve other regional fora, such as the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Nordic Council, and the North Seas Energy Cooperation.
The declaration also said that, in the near-term, Russian energy will also be replaced by an increase in fuel imported by sea. “We agree to collaborate on an increase of fuel imported by sea, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied biogas, through the EU Energy Platform and ensure that the Baltic trade infrastructure, such as ports and LNG terminals, will allow the necessary co-ordination in the face of growing maritime trade in the Baltic Sea,” the declaration concluded.
Responding to the announcement, wind turbine OEM Vestas said, “Europe is more than ever in need of collaboration and an accelerated green energy transition. 20 GW offshore wind in the Baltic by 2030 and grid infrastructure to deliver power to people is indeed an important step towards a safer and greener European energy supply. Now it is time to speed up permitting and projects so we can get to work and lower the cost of energy.”
WindEurope chief executive Giles Dickson said, “The Baltic will be a key part of Europe’s build-out of offshore wind. Today’s summit brings important new commitments from eight Baltic governments. And it is good they recognise the key role of cross-border collaboration. This will be essential, especially on grid development and maritime spatial planning. And it is important the eight countries support investment in the offshore wind supply chain and in ports and other logistics infrastructure, using the significant EU recovery funds that are available.”
Currently, Germany and Denmark are the only Baltic countries with large-scale windfarms in the Baltic. But other countries are eager to follow. Poland wants to have 6 GW by 2030 and 11 GW by 2040. Finland wants to have its first large-scale windfarm online by 2026-2027 and another one by 2028. In Sweden, 15 GW of projects are currently applying for permits. Some could be online before 2030. And Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all want to commission their first offshore windfarms before 2030.
WindEurope said it is crucial that the Baltic region looks into alternative energy sources. Much of the region has been dependent on Russian energy imports until recently. Installing more offshore wind will accelerate the phase-out of Russian fuel and increase the region’s energy security.
The wind energy association said it is key they also recognise they need to speed up permitting, because long bureaucratic processes slow down the realisation of projects. It also highlighted the need for a strong European supply chain and massive investment in grid infrastructure, port facilitates and vessels.
“Cross-border co-operation will also be of utmost importance," WindEurope noted. “Germany and Denmark have already shown that cross-border offshore wind projects are possible with their Kriegers Flak project. And Denmark has ambitions to connect more of its offshore windfarms in the Baltic Sea to the German grid too.
“It is great the governments agreed to explore joint cross-border renewable energy projects and identify further infrastructure needs to facilitate the expansion of offshore wind. Cross-border hybrid projects will also ensure more energy security by improving electricity flows. And especially for those countries not well interconnected with the rest of the European grid, it will also bring down prices.”
RWE Renewables chief executive offshore wind Sven Utermöhlen said, “A massively increased buildout of wind energy in the Baltic not only contributes to improved energy security. It can also reduce one-sided energy dependencies and can help achieve EU climate targets.
“Apart from strong regional cooperation, transparency and binding offshore wind targets for the Baltic are vital. We strongly support the 20-GW offshore wind target in the Baltic by 2030.”
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