BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2023) Leaders of nine northern European countries agreed Monday to raise their combined wind power production at sea to 300 gigawatts by 2050 as the region seeks to ensure its energy security and fight climate change.
Belgium, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands pledged at the inaugural North Sea Summit last year to more than double their total offshore wind turbine capacity to at least 150 GW by 2050.
The four were joined at this year's summit in the Belgian coastal resort of Ostend by France, Ireland, Luxembourg and Norway, while the United Kingdom signed up to the Ostend Declaration remotely.
"Together, we have set ambitious combined targets for offshore wind of at least 120 GW by 2030 in the North Seas. Based on the North Seas as a Green Power Plant of Europe, together we aim to more than double our total 2030-capacity of offshore wind to at least 300 GW by 2050," it read.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson attended the Monday summit. Simson said the gathering sent a clear message that the North Sea was on path to becoming a European green powerhouse.
"One year on, the stakes cannot be higher. Today's Summit in Ostend shows that the EU member states and our partners stay the course and are committed to bring offshore wind development to the next level. The Commission stands by their side," she said.
The previous North Sea Summit, which took place in May in the Danish city of Esbjerg, resulted in the attending parties' decision to synchronize their efforts to lessen their countries' dependence on fossil fuels.
