The coastline stretching across 175,000 kilometers links nations from the North Sea, including France, Norway, and the United Kingdom, along with Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. This makes the North Sea coalition the largest offshore wind initiative to date among these European leaders. Belgium holds the baptismal certificate and leadership center, even though it has just 67 kilometers of coastline—the smallest among the coalition members. With Luxembourg as a landlocked ninth member, the nine countries’ effort should be seen as a shared pledge to wind energy, a cornerstone of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
“Our coastline may be modest, but relative to our population, our offshore wind capacity ranks second in Europe.” said Alexander de Croo. Denmark leads the region in offshore wind capacity, while the United Kingdom remains the continent’s top producer with about 14 gigawatts. Germany follows with around eight gigawatts, and the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium each have roughly two to three gigawatts. With a total near 30 GW in 2022, the North Sea coalition plans to climb to 134 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050, multiplying yearly output to power roughly 120 million homes by 2030.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, born in Ostend, emphasized that the Ukraine crisis accelerated the push for rapid alternatives to secure supplies for citizens and industry. The aim now is to accelerate renewable energy development to drive decarbonization, with green hydrogen and wind energy forming a central hub of Europe’s energy strategy.
Alternatives to Russian gas
“With the support of partners and allies, dependence on Russia’s energy has diminished,” stated German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This shift spurred Germany to seek faster replacements for Russian gas, with Norway playing a key role as an emergency supplier. Now, Norway is expected to continue contributing through renewable energy sources, a point Scholz highlighted. A formal agreement between von der Leyen and the Norwegian leadership tied the North Sea coalition to a broader green alliance emanating from a partnership outside the European Union’s core borders.
Within the North Sea coalition, two countries outside the EU, Norway and the United Kingdom, will lead the drafting of detailed wind farm development protocols to harmonize regulation across diverse energy plans.
Germany has set an ambitious 2030 target to source 80% of its energy from renewables, with wind energy at the forefront. France, traditionally a major nuclear energy power, contributed about 0.5 GW of the 30 GW total reported last year.
Artificial island
“Every country has its plans, but the common goal remains steady: clean energy and climate neutrality,” remarked Emmanuel Macron, von der Leyen, Scholz, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during the Ostend discussions.
An artificial island will be built about 45 kilometers off Ostend to connect the various offshore wind farm branches. It will be a pivotal hub, yet not the lone anchor of the project. To reach the projected 300 GW output, multiple connectivity levels will be established with offshore platforms, addressing one of the park’s biggest safety and coordination challenges.
The coalition that formalized in Ostend began eleven months earlier in Esbjerg, Denmark, linking Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark. A later incident in September 2022 involved the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline network, underscoring how energy infrastructures remain highly vulnerable. While theories about the sabotage swirl, the episode clearly highlighted the fragility of energy systems and the critical need for resilient, diversified energy sources.