The UK is backing a huge international energy project that aims to create vast offshore wind farms so we can share green power across all of Europe, including Norway and Germany. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will sign the declaration on Monday in Hamburg, Germany and commit to finishing the enormous project 2050. The project is a significant departure from how European countries have traditionally approached renewable power, its proponents say: away from what they criticise as the uncertainty of fossil fuel markets and toward joint investments in clean energy resources.
The plan is a new twist on the development of offshore wind by connecting individual wind farms to several countries at once via undersea cables, called interconnectors. Undersea electricity connections between European countries already exist, 10 cables serve the UK, but never before have wind farms been connected directly to several grids. Proponents insist this agreement will enhance regional energy security and that it could lower electricity prices for consumers.
How the Shared System Might Work
Three years ago, the North Sea countries committed to work together to develop 300 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity and this latest agreement now says that 100 GW of that is going to be built through cooperation. The plan would have 20 gigawatts of capacity under construction by 2030, an ambitious and accelerated pace for developing renewable energy. The project is designed to establish a seamless network in which electricity can flow unencumbered to wherever demand is greatest or where supply could be tight.
Industry figures have broadly welcomed the announcement, with Jane Cooper of RenewableUK describing the deal as one which will lower costs for people footing energy bills and boost truly reliable energy security across a wider North Sea region. Research published by the UK National Grid earlier this month found that such deals could help to shrink ‘constraint payments’, the money paid out when wind farms are ordered off the grid because it has become too crowded to accommodate their energy.
Price Volatility and Energy Security Concerns
The harmonised approach has prompted debate about potential downsides, including the prospect that wind farm operators may try to sell electricity to whatever country offers the most attractive price at any given point in time. Critics fear that this market-based approach may instead raise costs for consumers when supplies of electricity are scarce and demand is high. Shadow energy secretary Claire Countinho has previously warned the race to build wind farms fast is already increasing energy bills for everyone.
Some of these concerns have already manifested themselves through Norway’s cooperation on interconnectors. Norwegian officials also started to worry that selling power to foreigners was reducing domestic supplies and driving up prices to Norwegian consumers, causing the government to implement new regulations limiting electricity exports when there is a risk of reducing domestic supply. Norway also said no to a new interconnector to Scotland, illustrating how concerns about energy security can trump the ambitions of international cooperation.
Britain’s Growing Wind Power Ambitions
The UK now boasts the second-largest offshore wind capacity on the planet, after China (which holds 43 gigawatts over half of a total installed global capacity of 83 gigawatts), with just shy of 16GW up and running. The next 20 gigawatts of capacity are to be contracted out by the British government; contracts for 8.4 gigawatts were awarded in what was billed as a record bid round earlier this month, although the Conservative opposition has criticized these deals for locking in what they believe are unnecessarily high prices.
The move widens Europe’s commitment to wind power at a time when criticism of the source comes from across the pond, as US President Donald Trump has in several recent speeches ridiculed wind energy, including during an address to World Economic Forum delegates at Davos. The Monday gathering in Hamburg is also likely to be attended by NATO and the European Commission, which have committed to increase security for offshore energy infrastructure as acts of sabotage and perilous maritime encountering these essential facilities are on the rise.
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