Government ministers from Ireland, Belgium and the UK have signed a joint statement to boost cooperation on offshore wind and interconnection.
The newly signed Joint Statement will allow for closer cooperation between the three countries to speed up offshore wind development, building on targets set at the North Sea Summit held last year in Ostend.
The three nations will establish a working group which will create a report on the challenges, opportunities and solutions for developing offshore wind. Ireland’s grid system operator EirGrid stated that they will engage with similar operators in Belgium and the UK with a view to creating trilateral arrangements for addressing interconnection challenges. EirGrid expects this work to be completed in early 2025.
Ireland’s environment and climate minister Eamon Ryan said: “Increased electricity interconnection is key as we continue to grow our use of renewable energy. One of the best characteristics of renewable energy is that it is, firstly, home grown and accessible to every country. A second key characteristic is that it works best if it can be shared.
“We need to work together to address our collective climate responsibilities, ensuring energy security and price stability, and that is why I am delighted to sign this agreement with the energy ministers in Belgium and the UK to assertively address the need to increase interconnection corridors between our three countries.”
UK minister for nuclear and renewables, Andrew Bowie, added: “The North Sea has the potential to be a renewable energy powerhouse, and we will always look to collaborate with our neighbours to explore how we can make the most of it. Not only do we share seas with our Belgian and Irish allies, but we share a common interest in cutting emissions and powering our homes with cheaper, cleaner, and more secure energy.”
Belgian minister Tinne van der Straeten noted: ” With this partnership, Ireland, the UK and Belgium are realising the ambitions set out at the North Sea Summit in Ostend a year ago: to make the North Sea the largest sustainable power plant in Europe. The key now is to implement the actions to follow through on those ambitions and power our green future. Thanks to this Joint Statement, we can explore a promising opportunity for interconnection between our three countries.”
Interconnection is vital
Increased interconnection between offshore wind and onshore grids is vital to best utilise the potential of offshore wind assets. Increased connectivity between countries allows each to balance supply and demand to cope with the fluctuating nature of renewable generation, as explored in a February 2024 Current± blog.
In March 2024, UK energy regulator Ofgem recommended two high-voltage interconnector projects between the UK and Europe be approved. One of these projects is LionLink, a 1.8GW project to connect the UK to Dutch wind farms in the North Sea, while the other is the 1.4GW Tarchon Energy interconnector linking the British grid with Germany.
Ireland recently began work on its own High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) cable project, the Celtic Interconnector. Once complete, this project will connect the Irish grid to continental Europe for the first time, via a 575km cable beneath the Celtic Sea. This HVAC cable will then be able to transmit 700MW of power between Knockraha, Ireland, and La Martyere, France.
