Wind farms in the North Sea are profitable investments for the countries that installed them. These wind farms operate in the five countries surrounding the North Sea–Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, and United Kingdom. The size, capacity, and potential vary according to the depths and sea conditions.
More so, geopolitics is affecting the initiative of European countries for sustainable energy. To power their countries, yes, but also to become independent from Russian fossil fuels and the associated volatility as soon as adequate infrastructure is available.
The 2022 Ukraine war also magnifies Europe’s dependence on Russian energy and oil. With the goal of energy independence in mind, investments into renewable energy, hydrogen, and green fuels are being fast-tracked via a more regionalized European energy policy.
What is the future potential for North Wea Wind Farms?
On May 2022, the four countries of Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, and Belgium committed to meet the target offshore wind power of 65 GW by 2030. The goal is to expand the current capacity with a tenfold increase by 2050. If successful, the offshore wind capacity of the four countries in 2050 will comprise half of the EU’s 300 GW offshore wind target in the same year. The countries are committed to sharing resources from development and financing to power technology.
The long-term prospects of installing the turbines across the North Sea are already concrete. As the green power technology will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, small state subsidies and financing from private investors will propel the shift to green energy. The EU will soon accelerate this transition by increasing its estimated investment.
What is REPowerEU?
REPowerEU is the set of points outlined by the European Commission to move the EU to energy independence and away from Russian fossil fuels. The cost of the project between 2022 and 2027 requires an additional €210 billion. Fortunately, the €100 billion savings each year the plan generates will mitigate the upfront cost. The Offshore Wind Summit in May of 2022 was closer to this goal.
Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium committed to jointly harness the North Sea and help propel the REPowerEU initiative.
Aside from reducing dependence on Russian Oil, REPowerEU is a collaborative way for EU member countries to reduce carbon emissions and eventually shift to renewables in homes, industry, and power generation.
What countries are in the North Sea?
The UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and Denmark surround the North Sea. The coastlines of the North Sea carve the main European landmass to the east, Norway to the northeast, and United Kingdom to the west and northwest.
The North Sea is 575,000 square kilometers and serves as a route critical to shipping, fishing, and offshore wind energy.
Where are the North Sea offshore wind farms?
The North Sea wind farms are typically a few kilometers to a few hundred kilometers off the nearest coast. In the image, some of the largest offshore wind farms in the North sea are near the German coast. Great Britain, meanwhile, has the highest number of planned, applied, and under-construction wind farms in the North Sea.
Offshore wind turbine foundations usually are installed, more or less, at around 50 meters in depth, which makes the North Sea suitable with an average depth of 95 meters.
Are there wind turbines in the North Sea?
Many developers own and operate wind turbines in the North Sea. Installed capacity per project ranges in the hundreds of megawatts. Future projects will reach several gigawatts of installed capacity for every phase, such as Dogger Bank in the UK.
The goal of REPower EU is that the electricity generated from the North Sea becomes a source of energy not just for the country of installation but for the other EU member countries, too. Frequently used offshore wind turbines in the North Sea are Siemens Gamesa and Vestas.
Belgium
Compared to its neighboring countries, Belgium has a smaller area to work with for its offshore wind farms. As a country of 11 million with only 30 square kilometers of territory, it will need to utilize its spatial economy in the North Sea well. Considering it has efficiently zoned its existing wind farms, there is reason to be optimistic about its future offshore wind farms in the North Sea.
Denmark
Denmark leads neighboring countries in the renewables sector, which began by banning the development and construction of nuclear power in 1985 after the Chernobyl disaster. In the early 1990s, the country installed one of the first offshore wind farms, Tunø Knob, in the Bay of Aarhus.
In 2002, Denmark also commissioned the first industrial-scale offshore wind farm–Horns Rev–in the North Sea. It was the first wind farm at its scale, with 80 turbines and an installed capacity of 160 MW.
Two decades later, Denmark remains in the lead in the wind industry. In 2019, 19 terawatt-hours, or 47% of Denmark’s electricity consumption, came from wind power.
Germany
Germany is ahead of other European countries in terms of infrastructure. The country’s onshore and offshore wind farms contribute to 23% of all electricity generated in Germany.
The country has home-grown turbine manufacturers such as Senvion, Enercon, and Nordex. Although the German development of wind farms slowed down, Germany can still leverage these industrial capabilities to boost the economy.
According to the 2021 report of BWE, future tenders and commissioning of wind farms will produce a total of 3 GW in 2026 and 8.7 GW for tendering until 2035. Germany may accelerate its developments with the proposed REPowerEU, where there are many areas of collaboration with the EU.
Netherlands
Dutch policymakers presented The Nordzee 2050 Gebiedsagenda, or 2050 North Sea Agenda, in the early 2010s.
The North Sea agreement outlines how the energy component of the North Sea must fit in with the food stability and marine ecosystem. The Netherlands took extra steps to study the impact of offshore wind farms on marine life and fisherfolk, as well as the use of spatial economy by shipping and fishing.
For the Netherlands, the overarching principles of implementing offshore wind farms in the Netherlands include the balance on the use of marine resources and making the most out of the wind energy potential of the North Sea. Furthermore, they intend to provide a stable investment environment, taking a slowly but surely approach for investors by making participation as broad as possible.
With the REPower Europe initiative, this balance might tip in favor of energy over other factors as the need to move away from Russian oil expedites the process.
United Kingdom
With Scotland, the United Kingdom is already a powerhouse in renewables.
In 2021, Scotland produced almost 20 terawatt hours of electricity from wind turbines, including offshore and onshore. Scotland also plans to continue with the second round of Scotwind leasing. The second round will build momentum from successful bidders of the first round. Developers plan for 25 GW of proposed projects in the first round alone.
Furthermore, Scotland is also leading in developing offshore wind farms with Hywind Scotland in the North Sea–the first commercial floating offshore wind farm. UK is also leading the way in the portfolio of global offshore wind by having an installed capacity of 12 GW after China’s 24 GW.