Ostend receives North Sea coalition
In May last year, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) and Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten (Green) went to the Danish Esbjerg. Together with their colleagues from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, they signed the ‘Esbjerg Declaration’: an agreement to increase the capacity of wind turbines tenfold by 2050 and to turn the North Sea into a large green energy plant.
The ambitions were considerable at the time: the intention was to increase the total capacity of the offshore wind farms of the four countries to 65 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and to go to 150 GW by 2050, or the power consumption of 150 million families.
Pioneer
Today a second North Sea summit will take place in Ostend. The coalition of four countries has now expanded to nine countries. Added: France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway and Luxembourg. According to Prime Minister De Croo, the latter is a “virtual North Sea country”.
It is no coincidence that the top continues in our country. Belgium is a pioneer in the construction of offshore wind turbines and has become a world leader in the construction of offshore wind farms. The maritime contractors DEME and Jan De Nul, for example, are global players in the construction of wind farms.
Ambition
The ambition of the top is not only to expand the capacity of offshore wind farms – the nine countries together aim for 134 GW in 2030 and more than 300 GW in 2050 – but above all to ensure that the concrete implementation goes smoothly. “The speed of implementation is the real commitment of the North Sea Summit,” says Prime Minister De Croo.
In concrete terms, the intention is to make agreements about standardization of the wind farms: for example, consider the use of the same technology. This should allow the parks to be built faster, according to the prime minister.
Safety at sea
There is also a need for agreements on tenders, interconnection and safety. The latter subject is gaining in importance, emphasizes Minister of Justice and the North Sea Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open VLD), pointing to the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline and the many data cables, power cables and pipelines in the North Sea.
The intention is to make agreements with the other North Sea countries about the safety measures that will be taken. The commitment to turning the North Sea into a large green power station is well known: getting rid of fossil fuels – in particular from Russia – and ensuring security of supply and access to green and cheap energy.
“Renewable energy is the solution to both the energy and climate crisis,” Minister Van der Straeten reminds. Ostend can expect a high number of visitors soon. The heads of government and energy ministers of the nine countries will travel to West Flanders, as will European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. There is also an important industrial section at the top, with several participating companies and network operators.
Hindrance
Ostend will not be a fortified castle, but the extra security measures will have consequences for traffic in and around the city and public transport.
Extra security has been built up in the port area, especially on the Oosteroever. Security perimeters are set up and traffic is temporarily halted in the afternoon, especially around Fort Napoleon, Duin en Zee and the harbor building.
Bus and tram traffic will also be affected. The coastal tram will continue to run, except at the Vuurtorenwijk. There are replacement buses.
See also: build an artificial energy island at sea
The Princess Elisabeth Island will be located about 45 km off the Belgian coast and will be the switching point between the offshore wind farms of the second offshore wind zone (with a maximum capacity of 3.5 GW) and the onshore high-voltage grid.