The international delegations lounge at Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference 2023 (OEEC 2023) hosted trade missions from several countries looking at increasing their renewable energy capacities and shifting to a cleaner energy mix and a more sustainable economy.
The energy transition in the offshore energy sector connects not only its industries spanning from oil & gas to offshore wind but also the geographical markets that come together in a mutual effort to fight climate change. Ambitious renewable energy targets, decarbonization in the fossil fuel industry, production of new and clean fuels, and developing robust supply chains are what gather different markets under one roof every November in Amsterdam.
Among the many renewable energy initiatives and plans that unite countries worldwide, offshore wind and green hydrogen are in the spotlight of governments and industry organizations that were guests of OEEC and the Dutch Government at last year’s Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference.
Baltic States
At OEEC 2023, we welcomed delegates from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania at the Baltic States delegations lounge in Hall 2.
The Baltic Sea is becoming a hotspot for offshore wind and Power-to-X plans, with cross-border cooperation on the rise with several projects and multi-state agreements in place to date.
The most notable in the offshore energy sector include ELWIND, an Estonian-Latvian cross-border offshore wind project, and the Baltic Declaration for Offshore Wind Energy that the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea signed in 2022.
Furthermore, the region has seen an agreement signed for a hybrid submarine cable project called Baltic WindConnector between Estonia and Germany, as well as new project proposals, including one for an energy hub planned to include offshore wind, hydrogen production and a pilot project to oxygenate the Baltic Sea.
Estonia has already held its first offshore wind tender and is now working on awarding development rights for three more offshore wind sites.
Lithuania is at a similar stage, having selected the developer of its first offshore wind farm last year and now in the process of awarding another 700 MW site for offshore wind development.
Poland
Among the signatories of the Baltic Sea offshore wind declaration and one of the Baltic Sea countries with ambitious offshore wind plans and several projects underway is Poland.
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In our international delegations lounge at OEEC 2023, we hosted the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society (PTMEW), the country’s offshore wind industry network.
This January, PTMEW was replaced by the Polish Chamber of Offshore Wind Energy (PIMEW), a newly established economic self-governing body that will continue the mission previously undertaken by PTMEW and build upon its activities in the offshore wind sector so far.
PIMEW’s tasks will be carried out in a complementary manner in many areas related to the development of the domestic offshore wind energy sector, promotion of local content on foreign markets and advocacy of the collective interests of the Chamber members in relations with the Polish and EU authorities, the Polish organization says.
Ireland
In 2023, Ireland selected four projects in the first offshore wind auction under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1). The four offshore wind farms have a combined capacity of nearly 3,100 MW.
The Irish Government is now working towards opening Phase Two of the scheme, ORESS 2, with the first auction of the second phase (ORESS 2.1) expected to be launched by the end of this year and the second auction (ORESS 2.2) planned for 2025.
This year, the country will open a tender for 900 MW of offshore wind capacity in an area off the South coast of Ireland.
Beyond the Phase Two auctions, which are planned to lead Ireland to its goal of having 5 GW of offshore wind installed by 2030, the Irish government also plans to launch Phase Three in 2025, which targets an initial 2 GW of floating wind capacity off the South and West coasts. These projects are expected to be in development by 2030 and may include projects available for green hydrogen production and other non-grid uses.
The Irish Government also plans to hold yearly auctions between 2026 and 2030 and award 9.5 GW of offshore wind capacity over the five-year period.
UK
OEEC hosted two delegations from the UK in 2023, with delegates from both the UK Government’s Department of International Trade and the national renewable energy industry organization, RenewableUK, present at the exhibition and conference.
Already the leading European country in installed offshore wind capacity (topped only by China worldwide), the UK’s 2030 target for this renewable energy source is 50 GW.
The UK raised its 2030 offshore wind target from the previous 40 GW to 50 GW in 2022, with the Government announcing the same year that it decided to accelerate the permitting processes to achieve the new goal. At the beginning of 2023, Ofgem approved the strategic electricity transmission reinforcements required to deliver the increased target.
According to a report from 2023, the UK’s pipeline of offshore wind projects is now nearing 100 GW.
This March, the UK Government revealed a budget of over GBP 1 billion (approximately EUR 1.2 billion) for the upcoming Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 6 (AR6) with GBP 800 million (around EUR 936 million) of the total amount earmarked for offshore wind.
The country is also in the process of awarding development rights under its first floating wind auction as The Crown Estate opened the Celtic Sea floating wind leasing round in February.
Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has not only drawn the spotlight to energy security and faster build-out of clean energy projects but also to the vast potential Ukraine has in renewable energy, green hydrogen and alternative fuel production.
In April last year, the EU and Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on launching a Strategic Partnership on Renewable Gases, including biomethane, hydrogen and other synthetic fuels.
In 2022, the European and Ukrainian solar and wind associations issued a joint statement calling on the leaders from both Ukraine and the EU to embrace renewables – including solar and onshore and offshore wind – and renewable hydrogen in the country’s post-war reconstruction.
“Renewables should be at the core of rebuilding a climate neutral, prosperous and energy independent Ukraine. Had we all invested earlier and more decisively in renewable energy, we would not find ourselves dependent on unreliable fossil fuel importers today”, Malgosia Bartosik, WindEurope Deputy CEO, said in July 2022.
In 2023, Denmark and Ukraine signed a five-year agreement to expand the energy cooperation the two countries had since 2014 to wind energy, including offshore wind.
Before the war, Ukraine had around 1.7 GW of onshore wind, but a large part of the onshore wind turbines were destroyed during Russian attacks, the Danish Energy Agency noted last year. In the short term, the new collaboration on wind energy consists of getting the existing onshore wind up and running again and expanding with more wind turbines on land. In the long run, the collaboration will explore the potential for offshore wind development in Ukraine.
US
Oceantic Network (formerly Business Network for Offshore Wind), the US offshore renewables industry organization, was also at the international delegations lounge at the Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference 2023 as well as the OEEC conference program.
READ MORE: Oceantic Network CEO: ‘There comes a time when we have to say enough is enough’
The US has a 2030 offshore wind target of 30 GW and aims to have 15 GW of floating wind by 2035, with a long-term goal of having 110 GW of offshore wind capacity installed and feeding power into the grid by 2050.
In 2023, the US Department of Energy (DOE) released its Offshore Wind Energy Strategy that outlines how the DOE will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind in support of achieving a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035.
In 2022, the DOE also launched a USD 8 billion programme to develop regional clean hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs) across the country.
The US currently has three offshore wind projects in operation, Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island, the South Fork Wind offshore wind farm in New York, and the two-turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) demonstration project. The first commercial-scale offshore wind farm that received federal approval, Vineyard Wind 1 in Massachusetts, is under construction and expected to enter full operation next year.
So far, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has given federal approval to eight offshore wind projects under the Biden-Harris Administration, with more undergoing the permitting process.
In December 2022, the US held its first floating wind lease sale for areas offshore California.
Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference will host international trade delegations, exhibitors and visitors at OEEC 2024 too. If you want to be part of the industry event in Amsterdam this November, make sure to secure your spot on time as the floorplan is already filling up.
Go to our Trade Delegations page to check our package offers that suit your requirements.
