As frontrunners in offshore wind, the four countries of the Esbjerg Declaration (Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium) want to jointly connect 65 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030 and 150 GW by 2050 by establishing interconnected energy hubs in the North Sea. In addition, 20 GW of hydrogen production capacity on- and offshore should be developed by 2030. Achieving these goals requires joint planning – now. Together with TenneT, Elia, 50Hertz, Amprion and Gasunie, Energinet propose taking a gradual approach for development of an initial offshore grid in the North Sea that starts with identifying first projects for an offshore grid consisting of hybrid interconnectors, hydrogen infrastructure and offshore energy hubs in the North Sea by the mid 2030s.

Initial offshore grid in the North Sea:

With these projects we will be able to create synergies, achieve a higher utilisation of offshore wind generation capacity, offer a variety of congestion management options, and ensure better economic returns for the society from the offshore energy and improved utilisation of the invested assets.

Interested in learning more? Read the expert paper here.