Ireland Joins North Sea Plan to Quadruple Offshore Wind Energy Generation and Build International Grid

Ireland has joined a group of eight European countries in a pledge to quadruple wind energy generation and develop “islands” linking offshore energy infrastructure in order to create a vast power generation network. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says that Ireland’s inclusion in the North Sea plan is key to avoiding being left out of European plans and extends the scope of the plans as far as the Atlantic Ocean. If Ireland can develop the technology to build in the deeper and wilder waters off its coast, there is significant potential for energy generation due to higher wind speeds and frequent storms. Mr Varadkar told a press conference at the conclusion of the summit that Ireland aimed to build wind energy farms with the capacity to produce roughly five times the entire current national electricity demand, making the country a major energy exporter. In addition to Britain, leaders from Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, and Germany also joined the conference, which was hosted by Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Delegates from the wind energy industry also attended the summit, which aimed to encourage standardisation of wind turbine technologies and grid interconnections so that production can be scaled up and energy shared.