According to an agreement signed by energy ministers at the 3rd Northern Sea Summit in Hamburg, Germany, offshore wind farms in the North Sea will be connected to the power grid of many countries at the same time, instead of just serving each country separately.
The group of countries bordering the North Sea are seeking to improve the investment environment and cut costs, in the context that Europe is facing difficulties in maintaining the financial feasibility of offshore wind power projects, while investors are showing caution.
According to the new agreement, the German government said that a maximum of 100 gigawatts of electricity capacity will be deployed throughout the North Sea region.
Our goal is to develop the world's largest energy center" - German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche emphasized.
Countries are also committed to maintaining continuous offshore wind power bidding after 2030, in order to create stability in planning and investment for wind energy businesses and grid infrastructure.
In return, the energy industry commits to reducing total electricity production costs by 30% by 2040.
In addition, 9.5 billion euros will be invested to expand energy production capacity in Europe before 2030, thereby creating about 91,000 more jobs.
“Through consistent expansion and smart connection of offshore energy sources, we are creating cheap, clean and safe energy sources, while reducing strategic dependence and increasing Europe's overall resilience” - Ms. Reiche said.
Last year, offshore wind power accounted for about 5% of Germany's total electricity consumption. In general, renewable energy meets nearly 56% of Germany's electricity demand, of which offshore wind power accounts for the largest proportion, followed by solar power.
According to forecasts, the proportion of offshore wind power in the electricity structure may increase to about 20% by 2045.
The Northern Sea countries also consider expanding wind power as a way to protect energy security.
Important power grids, gas pipelines and data cables, which play a key role in Europe's digital sovereignty, are becoming targets of attack.
Along with national leaders, the conference in Hamburg also had the participation of energy ministers, EU and NATO officials.
The first Beihai Summit was held in 2022 in Denmark, to respond to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and promote a shift to renewable energy to replace Russian gas and oil.
At the 2nd conference in Belgium in 2023, the leaders agreed to turn the North Sea into a "green power plant of Europe".
As of October 2025, the countries bordering the North Sea have only installed about 35 GW of capacity, equivalent to only 10% of the set target, according to official German data.
The United Kingdom currently leads with about 15 gigawatts of offshore wind power, followed by Germany (7.3 gigawatts) and the Netherlands (4.5 gigawatts).
