The UK and nine other European countries have agreed to build an offshore wind power grid in the North Sea in a landmark pact to turn the ageing oil basin into a “clean energy reservoir”.
The countries will build windfarms at sea that directly connect to multiple nations through high-voltage subsea cables, under plans that are expected to provide 100GW of offshore wind power, or enough electricity capacity to power 143m homes.
The commitment, which will be set out in the “Hamburg declaration”, is expected to be signed on Monday by energy ministers from the UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway.
The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said the UK was “standing up for our national interest” by pushing for clean energy and getting “off the fossil fuel rollercoaster”.
The pact comes less than a week after the US president, Donald Trump, criticised the UK’s plans to phase out production of North Sea oil and gas, and complained about European wind power.
He told the World Economic Forum in Davos last week: “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.”
The latest agreement reaffirms Europe’s commitment to wind power, after North Sea countries promised three years ago to build 300GW of offshore wind in the area by 2050. The new offshore wind power grid will contribute to this target.
Miliband is also expected to sign a statement of intent with Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands to open up cross-border, offshore electricity projects, with a focus on joint planning and cost sharing.
Energy UK, the sector’s trade association in the UK, said it fully backed the “landmark efforts … to transform the North Sea into a truly regional clean power hub”.
Dhara Vyas, the chief executive of Energy UK, said: “This deeper cooperation on supply chains, standardisation and shared infrastructure is not just a strategic necessity, it is the most effective way to bring down energy costs for households and businesses while fuelling sustainable economic growth and high-value jobs for years to come.”
Last year, wind and solar overtook fossil fuels in the EU’s power generation, generating 30% of the bloc’s electricity.
In the UK, the government this month handed out record subsidy contracts for offshore wind projects, in a boost for its goal of creating a clean electricity system by 2030.