Massive expansion planned The North Sea is set to become the "world's largest energy hub"

dpa

27.1.2026 - 00:00

There are around 1600 wind turbines off the German coast alone. Thousands more are to be added by 2050. Energy generation from wind power in the North Sea is set to increase almost tenfold by then.

DPA

27.01.2026, 00:00

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At the North Sea summit in Hamburg, the coastal states concluded an investment pact with the wind industry and grid operators.
Up to 100 gigawatts of generation capacity are to be networked across borders.
The industry has been promised tenders for wind turbines in the North Sea beyond 2030.
In return, the industry undertakes to reduce the overall costs of electricity generation by 30 percent by 2040.
The summits of the countries bordering the North Sea were launched in 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The countries bordering the North Sea are pushing ahead with the expansion of wind turbines off the coasts. To this end, the energy ministers concluded an investment pact with the wind industry and grid operators at the North Sea Summit in Hamburg. Conditions for investment are to be improved and costs reduced. Wind farms with an electricity connection to more than one country are planned. The North Sea states agreed to link up to 100 gigawatts of generation capacity across borders. "Our goal is to develop the largest energy hub in the world," said German Minister of Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche.

At the start of his meeting with five heads of government, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized that security issues had become "particularly topical" in recent weeks. "The issue of security in the north will also be with us at this conference," he said.

Snow and black ice affected the course of the summit. A meeting of the energy ministers on the multi-purpose ship "Neuwerk" in the port of Hamburg had to be canceled altogether due to weather-related travel problems. A tour by the heads of government of the ship, which is also used as an icebreaker, could only take place in a small group because the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden did not make it there in time.

Almost 91,000 additional jobs to be created

In the investment agreement, the industry is guaranteed tenders for wind turbines in the North Sea beyond 2030, thereby creating planning security. In return, the industry undertakes to reduce the overall costs of electricity generation by 30 percent by 2040. In addition, 9.5 billion euros are to be invested in new production capacities in Europe by 2030 and 91,000 additional jobs are to be created.

"With the consistent expansion and intelligent networking of offshore energy, we are creating affordable, clean and secure energy, reducing strategic dependencies and increasing Europe's overall resilience," said Reiche. The increased construction of so-called cooperation projects is intended to use existing areas more efficiently and reduce costs. The projects involve offshore wind farms with electricity connections to more than one country. This should enable more cross-border electricity trading.

Share of the electricity mix to increase significantly

Last year, offshore wind farms accounted for around 5 percent of electricity consumption in Germany, according to the energy industry. In total, renewable energies covered almost 56 percent of electricity consumption - the highest share was accounted for by onshore wind turbines, followed by solar installations. According to forecasts, the share of offshore wind power in the electricity mix could rise to around 20 percent by 2045.

According to the European wind association Wind Europe, 32 million households can already be supplied with electricity from offshore wind energy. At 300 GW in 2050, this figure could rise to more than 330 million.

Increasing attacks on energy infrastructure

The expansion of wind energy generation should also strengthen the security of the energy infrastructure in the North Sea. "We have seen increasing attacks on our critical infrastructure, and not just since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," said Reiche. Power grids, pipelines and important data cables, which are crucial for the continent's digital sovereignty, are being attacked "and that is why NATO is represented here at a high level for the first time".

Summit in response to Russian attack on Ukraine

The summits of the North Sea states were launched in 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The first meeting in 2022 in Esbjerg, Denmark, was about replacing gas and oil supplies from Russia as quickly as possible with the help of renewable energies. "Now is the time to set out, and now we are setting out," said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) at the time.

North Sea to become the "green power plant of Europe"

At the 2023 North Sea Summit, it was decided to develop the North Sea into a "green power plant for Europe". The aim is to jointly install up to 300 gigawatts (GW) of power in the North Sea by 2050. However, this is still a long way off. According to the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, the coastal states have installed around 35 GW of power as of October 2025. This corresponds to a good tenth of the expansion target. The UK has the largest capacity with around 15 GW. Germany accounts for 7.3 GW and the Netherlands for 4.5 GW.

Ten countries are taking part in the summit - seven countries bordering the North Sea as well as Ireland, Iceland and Luxembourg, which does not have a meter of coastline but is participating in the financing of wind power. According to information from the Élysée Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron had canceled due to scheduling reasons and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not come to Hamburg either.

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Merz actually finds wind turbines "ugly"

Host Merz had already called for the North Sea to become the "largest reservoir for clean energy in the world" before the summit. During the election campaign, however, the German Chancellor had made disparaging remarks about wind energy. "I even believe that if we do something right, we will one day be able to dismantle wind turbines again because they are ugly and because they don't fit into the landscape," he said on ZDF television in November 2024. In the coalition agreement with the SPD, however, the expansion of wind power and cooperation with the other countries bordering the North Sea was then firmly anchored.

Criticism from environmental associations: "The measure is lost"

The environmental associations demand that the expansion of wind power must not be at the expense of nature. "Some players have lost their sense of proportion when expanding wind energy at sea," says Kim Detloff, marine expert at the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu). "Ecological impacts ranging from massive habitat loss for many seabirds to irreversible changes to the North Sea ecosystem are threatening to become unmanageable." The narrative of the "North Sea power plant" is fatal.

Greenland could also become an issue

The summit also provides an opportunity to talk about topics that are not directly related to the North Sea. For example, the Greenland crisis could be discussed again with Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen.

However, the crisis was defused by the USA last week and an EU summit has already dealt with the consequences on Friday.