In an era of changing geopolitical landscape, high energy costs and severe impact of climate change, the United Kingdom and European allies signed on January 26 a historic clean energy security pact – the Hamburg Declaration – to bolster energy security across the UK and Europe.
The deal will drive forward an unprecedented fleet of joint offshore wind projects between European countries, including Germany, Norway, France and Denmark, taking advantage of Europe’s shared abundant energy in the North Sea, the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said.
“We are standing up for our national interest by driving for clean energy, which can get the UK off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and give us energy sovereignty and abundance,” Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said, who signed the Hamburg Declaration from the part of the UK, at the North Sea Summit in Hamburg that also brought together European leaders in Germany, France, Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark and Norway. “After our record renewables auction, we today went further by signing a clean energy security pact with European allies to ensure we maximize the clean energy potential for the North Sea,” Miliband added.
The UK and Europe stand together amid global headwinds, to reaffirm their commitment to clean, secure energy as the only route to escape dependency on unstable fossil fuel markets, the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said, adding that the summit comes after the UK delivered a record-breaking offshore wind auction, unlocking 7,000 jobs and driving private sector investment of £22 billion into the UK’s factories and ports.
“Three years ago, North Sea countries pledged to build 300 GW of offshore wind in the North Sea by 2050, in response to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponization of Europe’s energy supplies,” the UK Energy Department said.
The deal agreed on January 26 means, for the first time, North Sea countries have agreed to deliver 100 GW of this offshore wind power through joint clean‑energy projects. These will include new offshore wind hybrid assets — wind farms at sea that are directly connected to more than one country through interconnectors. This joint commitment is set out in the “Hamburg Declaration,” agreed at the Future of the North Seas Summit.
Dhara Vyas, Chief Executive of Energy UK, said the UK’s energy sector is fully behind the landmark efforts to be announced at the Hamburg North Sea Summit to transform the North Sea into a truly regional clean power hub. “Delivering the goal of 100 GW of offshore cooperation projects by 2050 will require a relentless focus on maintaining the momentum of UK-EU alignment on electricity market coupling and ETS (Emissions Trading System) linkage. This deeper cooperation on supply chains, standardization, and shared infrastructure is not just a strategic necessity, it is the most effective way to bring down energy costs for households and businesses while fueling sustainable economic growth and high-value jobs for years to come,” he said.
Jane Cooper, Deputy Chief Executive of RenewableUK, said, “This ambitious announcement to build a vast number of new offshore wind farms jointly with our European partners will increase the energy security of the UK and the whole of the North Sea region significantly. This historic declaration puts offshore wind right at the heart of Europe’s power system, with the UK leading the way. We are strengthening our security collaboration to ensure the North Sea’s critical energy infrastructure is protected from harm, so that we can continue to generate the huge quantities of clean power needed by the UK and our neighbors reliably at all times.”
Further key outcomes expected from the summit include:
Interconnected offshore grid – the Energy Secretary signing a statement of intent with Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands to unlock cross-border offshore electricity projects, focusing on joint planning, cost-sharing and market arrangements to speed up delivery.
Offshore Hybrid Assets – The UK agreeing a framework to deepen German and UK collaboration on offshore hybrid assets. These are advanced subsea energy infrastructure that combine offshore wind farm connections with electricity interconnectors. This would put UK firms at forefront of grid technology, unlocking export opportunities and boosting growth.
At the North Sea Summit in Hamburg on January 26, leaders and energy ministers of the North Sea region committed to cooperate closely to speed up the development of stable, secure and affordable offshore energy and hydrogen and make European industry more globally competitive, the European Commission said in a press release.
Representing the European Commission at the North Sea Summit, EU Energy and Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said, “In these turbulent geopolitical times, Europe must stand strong and united — and choose independence. That means doubling down on clean, safe, home-grown energy. It means building on our natural strengths, and few are greater than the North Sea and its vast offshore wind potential. It means strengthening our interconnections so that affordable energy can flow freely across our continent. And it means securing our industrial leadership while guaranteeing our security. This is Europe’s path to true independence.”