London (The Palestine
Telegraph Newspaper) January 26, 2026 - The United Kingdom has signed the
Hamburg Declaration committing to a pan-European offshore wind consortium with
nine partner nations targeting 100 gigawatts of jointly developed capacity by
2050. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband joined counterparts from Germany Denmark
Netherlands Belgium Norway France Ireland Luxembourg and Sweden at the Future
of the North Seas Summit in Hamburg formalising cross-border infrastructure
sharing.
The agreement establishes shared
planning cost mechanisms and market arrangements for hybrid offshore assets
connecting windfarms directly to multiple national grids enhancing regional
energy security.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband
signed the declaration on Monday confirming UK participation in coordinated
North Sea wind development following three years outside European energy
cooperation post-Brexit. The pact revives UK engagement with the North Seas
Energy Cooperation framework through a memorandum of understanding extending to
June 2026 with potential for permanent structures.
Initial projects target 20
gigawatts operational by 2030 leveraging existing interconnectors and new
subsea cables for bidirectional power flows.
Hamburg declaration key commitments cross-border cooperation
The Hamburg Declaration commits signatories to joint offshore wind hybrid assets combining wind generation with direct interconnector cables to multiple countries. Germany and UK agreed framework deepening collaboration on these advanced subsea infrastructures positioning British firms for grid technology exports.
Belgium Denmark Netherlands and
UK signed statement of intent unlocking cross-border electricity projects
through unified planning permitting and revenue sharing.
Interconnected offshore grid
development coordinates windfarm layouts across exclusive economic zones
minimising seabed conflicts and optimising wake effects for higher yields. NATO
and European Commission participation addresses security for offshore
infrastructure amid sabotage concerns and unsafe maritime activities. Annual
progress reporting to energy agencies ensures accountability against 100
gigawatt delivery targets within the 300 gigawatt North Sea total ambition.
ED miliband energy security statements summit outcomes
Ed Miliband stated the deal drives unprecedented joint offshore wind projects harnessing shared North Sea resources for families and businesses. Miliband emphasised escaping fossil fuel dependency through economies of scale supply chain standardisation and infrastructure pooling reducing household energy costs. UK targets 50 gigawatts offshore wind by 2030 with 40 gigawatts contribution to regional goals via Great British Energy investments.
RenewableUK Deputy Chief
Executive Jane Cooper confirmed the declaration places offshore wind central to
Europe's power system lowering consumer bills through enhanced North Sea
security. Summit secured European Investment Bank loans for project preparation
and equity unlocking private capital. Miliband committed continuation of
Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme supporting £1.5 billion domestic
factories.
North seas energy cooperation nsec historical context revival
North Seas Energy Cooperation formed 2016 coordinating Belgium Denmark Germany Ireland Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Sweden and originally UK on offshore wind and grids. UK departure post-Brexit 2020 paused collaboration until Sunday's memorandum of understanding re-engagement ceremony with European Commission.
NSEC facilitates maritime spatial
planning biodiversity protections and grid connections across North Sea Irish
Sea and Celtic Sea basins.
2023 NSEC declaration targeted
300 gigawatts total capacity with Hamburg refining 100 gigawatts joint projects
delivery model. Cross-border cooperation accelerates permitting harmonises
standards and pools investments cutting levelised costs through shared
platforms. WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson noted improved energy flows lower bills
and sea-basin biodiversity approaches from renewed UK participation.
Offshore hybrid assets technical specifications development
Hybrid assets integrate offshore
wind arrays with high-voltage direct current interconnectors enabling simultaneous
exports to multiple landing points. UK-German framework specifies joint
planning cost-sharing and market coupling for these subsea highways reducing
individual nation reinforcement expenditures. First hybrids target Dogger Bank
extensions connecting Teesside to German Baltic grids via Jutland corridors.
National Grid and TenneT
coordinate converter station specifications 525 kilovolt platforms offshore
with dynamic reactive power compensation for grid stability. Cable technologies
evolve to 2 gigawatt bundles with bundled phase conductors cutting material
costs 20 percent over traditional designs. Pilot projects Bornholm Energy
Island demonstrate Denmark-Germany shared platforms operational since 2024.
Dogger bank hornsea existing projects consortium integration
Dogger Bank world's largest windfarm 3.6 gigawatts across phases A-D operational from 2025 SSE Equinor £6 billion investment. Hornsea 3 2.9 gigawatts Orsted development North Sea Link tie-in points for continental dispatch. Race Bank East Anglia One North 4.1 gigawatts Contracts for Difference AR6 awards feeding hybrid infrastructure.
RWE secured 6.9 gigawatts UK CfD
support across multiple rounds positioning for consortium offtake agreements.
Five Estuaries 1.08 gigawatts Sumitomo development powers one million homes
integrating zonal planning. Nordlicht I II 1.6 gigawatts German procurement
complements UK capacities for balanced network flows.
Interconnector expansion programmes capacity reinforcements
Viking Link 1.4 gigawatts
Denmark-UK operational 2024 Energinet National Grid 770 kilometre route. North
Sea Link 1.4 gigawatts Norway-UK longest marine cable 720 kilometres Statnett
management. IFA2 1 gigawatt France-UK GET National Grid operational 2021.
Planned Eastern Green Link 1 2
gigawatts Scotland-England TenneT Sons of Wind final investment decisions 2025.
Great Grid Upgrade 17 gigawatts onshore lines connects 60 gigawatts renewables
by 2030. Synthetic inertia from offshore batteries provides black start
capabilities replacing fossil synchronisation.
Supply chain localisation job creation investment figures
UK Content 3 regime mandates 70
percent domestic turbine towers blades vessels operations maintenance hubs.
Port of Tyne Hull Grimsby expansions £500 million quayside deepening
marshalling areas for 15 megawatt platforms. JDR Hartlepool HVDC factory
doubles to 2 gigawatts annual output monopile jacket transitions.
Boskalis Jan De Nul contracts
cable laying trenching rock placement 5,000 jobs East Coast multipliers.
Offshore Wind Skills Taskforce trains 10,000 apprentices annually GWO BOSIET
centres in Hull Lowestoft. Women in Offshore Wind charter targets 35 percent
female workforce by 2030.
Auction outcomes pricing strike levels capacity awards
AR6 Contracts for Difference
awarded 4.1 gigawatts 27 projects £44 per megawatt-hour strike price. AR7
targets 4.5 gigawatts Q3 2026 East Coast sequential leasing. German FKO
auctions 5.7 gigawatts RWE EnBW €70 per megawatt-hour North Sea 2 zone.
Netherlands Hollandse Kust Noord
760 megawatts Orsted Vattenfall €49.50 per megawatt-hour record low. Two-way
CfD refinements stabilise revenues incentivise oversupply exports during high
wind periods.
Hydrogen production electrolysis offtake integration
Orsted Equinor North Sea hydrogen
pipelines from offshore electrolysis platforms 1 gigawatt initial clusters.
Acorn St Fergus hub blue hydrogen blending 17 megatonnes CO2 storage North Sea
aquifers. HyDeploy Teesside power-to-X fuels for aviation shipping decarbonisation.
CCUS clusters HyNet North West capture industrial emitters 30 megatonnes annual injection capacity. H2Green Teesside Fischer-Tropsch synthesis market development pathways established.
Kincardine 50 megawatts
semi-submersible operational 60 metre depths. DemoSATH Tri-Floater
pre-commercialisation scales to 15 megawatt turbines 2030 arrays. Crown Estate
Scotland INFINITY 4.1 gigawatts floating round applications under assessment.
Eolink KIS-ORCA 1 megawatt
Achleitbuie Bay grid connected 2025 testing. Floating platforms unlock 60-100
metre contours tripling leaseable seabed areas.
International comparisons global capacity leadership standings
China leads 43 gigawatts of 83
gigawatts global total UK second 16 gigawatts operational 20 gigawatts
contracted. US Orsted Revolution Wind 704 megawatts Vineyard Wind 1 806
megawatts construction. IEA forecasts 234 gigawatts global 2030 630 gigawatts
2050 $650 billion annual investments.
European REPowerEU 450 gigawatts
target €800 billion continent-wide. Baltic Iberian plans complement North Sea
165 gigawatts 2030 ambitions.
security arrangements nato european commission involvement
NATO commitments protect offshore infrastructure hybrid warfare threats cable sabotage countermeasures. European Commission coordinates state aid approvals cross-border state guarantees for hybrid risks. Annual maritime security exercises simulate response protocols.