North Sea Nations Will Vow to Jointly Build and Protect Wind Sites

(Bloomberg) -- Countries including the UK, Germany and the Netherlands will pledge to jointly develop 100 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity in the North Sea and step up security of such infrastructure amid growing threats of sabotage.

Energy ministers from nine countries meeting in Hamburg next week will sign a declaration committing to executing the joint projects by 2050, according to a draft seen by Bloomberg News. 

With the security of such installations increasingly threatened, the countries will also commit to exchange security-related data, as well as head off physical and cyber threats, for instance by stress-testing components in wind turbines.

“Considering the need to secure our offshore energy infrastructure against actions committed in the maritime sea and air space by malign actors and to negligent nautical behavior, it is essential to continue to pursue a high level of physical and digital protection of our energy infrastructure,” the draft document says. 

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Commission are also taking part in the summit, with Iceland joining despite not being a North Sea nation. The German government, which is hosting the summit, didn’t immediately respond for comment.

While US President Donald Trump has been ideologically opposed to wind farms and this week attacked Europe’s buildout, the pledge undercores the continent’s ongoing commitment to the technology. Currently, there are 83 gigawatts of offshore capacity globally, according to a 2025 report by the Global Wind Energy Council. 

At the same time, the need to better protect infrastructure from foreign and domestic threats has emerged as a priority since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Earlier this month, 45,000 homes in Berlin were left without power for multiple days after an arson attack, while there’s been a number of incidents in recent years affecting subsea energy links.

The North Sea is set to be a major driver of the European Union’s transition to net zero by the middle of the century, with enormous potential for both wind and hydro power that proponents believe could lower bills, improve energy security and help produce much of the green hydrogen needed to decarbonize heavy industry. 

The overall goal is to build 300 gigawatts of offshore wind in the region by 2050, with a third of that coming from joint developments. The draft declaration says Transmission System Operators will set 20 gigawatts of such projects in motion in the 2030s.

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