This Monday the Minister for Energy, Utilities & Climate, Lars Chr. Lilleholt signed a political declaration on the establishment of a new collaboration on sustainable energy and electricity grid in the North Sea with Belgium, England, the Netherlands, Ireland, the UK, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Germany and the EU Commission. The collaboration are going to clear the way for common EU rules for offshore wind turbines and a collaboration on tenders for offshore wind farms.

- “We need to develop an internal market for offshore wind in the North Sea. With the North Sea-collaboration the North Sea countries harmonize the rules and coordinate offshore wind turbine tenders, so we can decrease the costs on offshore wind an enable that the North Sea becomes a power plant with offshore wind for all of Europe” says Lars Chr. Lilleholt.

Today rules for the installation of offshore wind turbines are very different across EU. For example there is a large variation in the requirements for colors of the wind turbines and the design of the offshore wind farm. This means that the Danish wind turbine industry needs to adapt its production for more than six different markets in the same sea area. This increases the price for offshore wind and that price is the consumers of sustainable energy paying. Thus, new rules and a more simple market can contribute to decreasing the cost.

The collaboration also entails that the countries will work on a better coordination of the tenders, to avoid tenders are timed simultaneously, which can increase costs further. In addition, the countries will develop models for offshore wind tenders across countries, allowing the best areas to come into play.

Silicon Valley for Offshore Wind
The perspectives for offshore wind in the North Sea are comprehensive. The EU-Commision estimates that wind from the North Sea could cover 4-12% of the electricity consumption in EU, which would amount to a expansion of around 1000 GW by 2030. If you look at a Danish household's electricity consumption, it would be equivalent to, that the wind from the North Sea could cover app. 100 million households’ electricity consumption. For comparison there is today 7,7 GW offshore wind installed in the North Sea.

- Related News: The World’s Biggest Wind Turbines inaugurated in Denmark

By developing a joined tender, it is a possibility that Danish sea areas can be utilised in a higher degree than today. Analysis by the EU-commision’s funded research project, Windspeed, indicates that the Danish part of the North Sea, due to a relative low sea depth, can be particularly attractive. A major expansion of the North Sea, also including the Danish part of the North Sea, can result in great gains for the Danish offshore industry.

- “If the North Sea becomes a Silicon Valley for offshore wind, then it can become a strong business for Denmark, whilst giving rewards to the climate. There is a big potential in developing joined projects, then we can utilise the best places in the North Sea, make the tender in a larger scale and by this reduce the cost of the offshore wind expansion.” says Lars Chr. Lilleholt.

The increased activity in the North Sea can result in growth and new jobs in the large cluster of Danish companies working with offshore wind.

- “The North Sea-collaboration can result in jobs, growth and development in Denmark. We have a large cluster of companies, who are specialized in installing and providing service to offshore wind farm. The higher activity  in the North Sea, the higher the demand for Danish solutions will be. This include all from the companies, making spare parts, to the engineers, who service the turbines, and the Danish harbours, which become – and to some extent already are – the gateway to the North Sea. This will of course apply to a larger extent, if the good conditions in the Danish harbours can be used for production in other North Sea countries” Says Lars Chr. Lilleholt

- Download White Paper: Wind Energy Moving Ahead

Facts
• The work begins in June, and in the collaboration’s first three years will Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark hold the presidency respectively.
• The European wind turbine industry expects, that app. 80% of the planned wind turbines in EU, will be placed in the North Sea.  

Source: Ministry for Energy, Utilities & Climate