The NSEC unveiled the new targets following a meeting in Dublin chaired by Irish Energy Minister Eamon Ryan. The agreement between the two countries is non-binding. In the group, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway have said 76 GW of offshore wind will be connected to the grid by the end of this decade, and 193 GW by 2040.

The 260 GW target represents more than 85% of the EU target, which hopes to produce at least 300 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050. The NSEC group of countries called the new goal to accelerate offshore wind deployment.

The Russia-Ukraine crisis and the consequent energy price and supply security crisis have added to the urgency to act, the official statement from the NSEC countries said. Developing our common marine renewable resources will reduce the region's reliance on imported fossil fuels by enhancing energy regional self-sufficiency, and will inevitably accelerate the transition to a green and resilient energy system.

The Minister and Commissioner believe that following the revision of the TEN-E regulatory framework, the NSEC will facilitate the development of the North Sea offshore grid that will be deployed in the sea basin. NSEC also expects member states to cooperate in the development of priority maritime corridors as well as in the development of hybrid projects.

Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said NSEC members also called for an accelerated approval regime and award process, which are integral to the timely development of offshore wind and related projects to help tackle climate challenges. Impressively, the targets agreed by the nine NSEC countries represent more than 85% of the EU-wide ambitions we outlined two years ago.Editor/XingWentao