Harnessing the energy potential of the North Sea
At the North Sea Summit in Hamburg, Federal Chancellor Merz is meeting with heads of state and government from the region’s coastal countries. Alongside expanding wind power, the focus is also on protecting it.
Hamburg (dpa) – At today’s North Sea Summit in Hamburg, Germany and other coastal states are looking to further drive the expansion of wind power installations off their shores. The North Sea is to become the “largest reservoir of clean energy worldwide”, said Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, setting the theme as host of the third meeting of its kind. Five heads of state and government, several energy ministers and representatives of industry have announced their participation.
The aim of the summit is to make the expansion of offshore wind energy more efficient and cost-effective through close cooperation across the North Sea region, thereby strengthening Europe’s energy independence and lowering electricity costs. Above all, better investment conditions for offshore wind are to be created, for example through cross-border planning and financing of offshore wind farms and the associated power grids.
In addition, energy infrastructure in the North Sea is to be better protected in future. Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the number of hybrid attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Europe has increased, both on land and at sea.
