There are already around 1,600 wind turbines off the German coast, but thousands more are to be added in the coming years. Energy generation from wind power in the North Sea is set to increase almost tenfold by 2050. This was agreed by the energy ministers of the countries bordering the North Sea at the North Sea Summit in Hamburg on Monday. On the sidelines of the summit, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasised the importance of the North Sea as a future hub for offshore wind energy: "The decisions we made in Hamburg will make our energy supply more secure, more cost-effective and more integrated. This will make Europe more resilient and competitive overall."
Billion-euro investment pact for offshore wind energy
The energy ministers of the countries bordering the North Sea signed an agreement which, among other things, envisages linking offshore wind turbines with electricity connections to several neighbouring countries. "Our goal is to develop the largest energy hub in the world," explained Minister of Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche. Up to 100 gigawatts of generation capacity is to be made available across borders. In return, the industry is committed to reducing the total cost of electricity generation by 30 per cent by 2040. In addition, 9.5 billion euros are to be invested in new production capacities in Europe by 2030 and 91,000 additional jobs are to be created.
According to the European wind energy association Wind Europe, 32 million households can currently be supplied with electricity from offshore wind energy. With 300 gigawatts in 2050, this figure could rise to more than 330 million. In addition to the North Sea, there are also ambitious plans for the Baltic Sea: back in August 2022, several countries bordering the Baltic Sea announced plans to increase the production of wind energy in the Baltic Sea sevenfold to 20 gigawatts by 2030.
Baltic Sea: Bornholm Energy Island
At the North Sea Summit, concrete agreements were also reached on international cooperation in the Baltic Sea. Economics Minister Reiche and her Danish counterpart Lars Aagaard signed an agreement on "Bornholm Energy Island". An electricity hub is to be built on the Danish island of Bornholm, which will transmit offshore wind power from the Baltic Sea to Germany and Denmark.
Off the Danish North Sea coast, huge areas have been designated where not only wind turbines but also artificial islands are to be built. These are to be equipped with huge electricity storage facilities to serve as a buffer for surplus energy. TenneT Germany and its British partner National Grid have also announced a project that will connect several North Sea wind farms to both coasts simultaneously.
The security of the energy infrastructure in the North Sea is also to be strengthened. "We have seen increasing attacks on our critical infrastructure, and not just since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," said Reiche. This is why NATO was represented at the summit at a high level for the first time.
Effects on shipping and water sports
The massive expansion of offshore wind energy will have noticeable consequences for sailors and other water sports enthusiasts. While most crews whose home territory is the North Sea or Baltic Sea only perceive the existing wind farms as a seriously disruptive obstacle in isolated cases, this will change in the coming years. There are currently just over 30 wind farms in German waters: two dozen in the North Sea, the others in the Baltic Sea - exclusively off the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
With the planned expansion of the wind farms, freedom of navigation will be restricted in many areas of the North Sea and Baltic Sea that are popular with sailors. In a few years, a trip from Heligoland around Skagen will inevitably lead through wind farm areas, along the passages that have been left open to shipping. What is particularly problematic is that each state has very different procedures - both in the allocation and planning of wind farms and in the regulations for navigating in and around offshore facilities.
The NABU warns against rash construction in the North Sea. "It is important to organise the whole thing in a way that is compatible with nature, because we already have a considerable burden on the seas due to fishing, shipping and offshore wind energy. In this respect, we must try to strike a sensible balance between the different interests," said Malte Siegert from NABU Hamburg.
For sailors, there is also the question of safety when sailing in wind farm areas. To date, there has been no known case of a yacht colliding with such a turbine. However, with the foreseeable increase in the number of wind turbines, the associated risk of accidents is also growing. After all, there are no dangerous downdraughts, unpredictable wind shifts or turbulent currents on the water surface caused by the rotating rotor blades in the wind farms. The individual turbines are installed at such a large distance from each other that they do not influence each other.
Different navigation rules in European waters
The regulations for travelling through wind farms differ greatly between European countries. In the UK, driving through wind farms is generally permitted. Restricted zones only exist within a radius of 50 metres around the individual wind turbines. Only in a few exceptional cases are there prescribed corridors through the fields from which it is not permitted to deviate.
In Germany and its neighbouring countries, however, there are no standardised solutions. If corridors have to be maintained in a park, caution is advised, as these are then used by all ships, possibly even commercial shipping. It can get crowded, and there is usually no traffic separation for the respective directions of travel. In the long term, it would be desirable to harmonise the navigation rules for water sports enthusiasts, but there have been no initiatives to date.
Existing wind farms:
- Germany: Around 30 wind farms (two dozen in the North Sea, the rest in the Baltic Sea)
- Denmark: Scattered smaller wind farms in Belten and Sund as well as in Kattegat and Skagerrak
- Sweden: Few wind farms off the east coast
Navigation rules:
- Great Britain: Passage generally permitted, 50-metre exclusion zone around individual wind turbines
- Germany and neighbouring countries: inconsistent regulations, partially prescribed corridors
Planned extensions:
- North Sea: Tenfold increase in wind energy by 2050
- Baltic Sea: seven-fold increase to 20 gigawatts by 2030
- Denmark: Artificial energy islands with electricity storage planned
More articles on offshore wind energy and sustainability
- Energy transition: New offshore wind farm in the Little Belt
- Energy turnaround: Huge wind project off the Danish island of Bornholm
- Sustainability: offshore sailors sound the alarm
- Solar: Portable energy for yachts - Jackery expands Explorer series
- Interview: "Losing is not an option" - Boris Herrmann on sustainability in racing
