A group of North Sea nations on Monday announced a pact to use offshore wind power to end European energy dependence on foreign powers such as Russia.
Ten European countries were represented by their energy ministers at the conference in Hamburg where the agreement was signed – the UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway.
As per AFP, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen described the pact as a “very clear signal to Russia.”
“No more will we let you blackmail member states of the European Union and no more will we help indirectly fund the war in Ukraine,” he told a press conference.
The Hamburg declaration aims to make the North Seas into “a power hub for Europe,” in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s words. The ten participating countries have promised to collectively build 5GW of offshore wind capacity every year throughout the 2030s through private sector investments, among other measures. The industry expects to create 91,000 jobs as a result, and produce enough electricity to power 100 million homes.
Also on Monday, the EU approved a phased ban of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas. Member states will be required to verify the origin of imported gas and submit national diversification plans by March. 1.
The US has moved to fill the void left by Moscow’s fossil fuel industry – something which may help explain US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about renewable power. During last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump described wind turbines as “losers.”
“There are windmills all over Europe. There are windmills all over the place and they are losers. One thing I’ve noticed is that the more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses and the worse that country is doing,” he said.
UK Energy Minister Ed Milliband appeared to implicitly rebut Trump’s comments on Monday, saying “offshore wind is for winners.”
“This clean energy security pact – the Hamburg declaration – is an incredible statement, I think, of our shared commitment to make the North Sea a clean energy powerhouse,” he added, as per The Guardian.
After weeks of transatlantic tension caused by Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland – a mineral-rich Arctic island which is an autonomous territory of NATO ally and Hamburg signatory Denmark – some may view Monday’s agreement as a signal to the US as well as Russia.
However, Jorgensen said that the EU wants to “trade and deal with the US on as many issues as possible,” describing the continent’s past energy dependence on Russia as a “huge mistake.”
“Now we have to make sure that we will have no dependencies on other countries outside Europe, not only on energy, on everything,” the EU energy commissioner said.