Ten European countries will build 100GW grid in the North Sea linking countries via subsea cables.
Governments participating in the North Sea Summit in Hamburg at the end of January have agreed to commit to building 15GW of offshore wind a year between 2031 and 2040 and derisking offshore wind investments.
The North Sea is set to become the “largest reservoir of clean energy worldwide”, said the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, speaking at the summit on 27 January 2026, as he announced plans to accelerate plans to link up offshore wind power projects with Europe.
Ten European countries have agreed to speed up the rollout of offshore windfarms in the 2030s and build a power grid in the North Sea, in a landmark agreement to create a “clean energy reservoir”. The countries will build windfarms at sea that directly connect to each other via high-voltage subsea cables, under plans that are expected to provide 100 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power, capable of powering 143 million homes.
Merz was speaking as energy ministers from Belgium, Denmark, France, the UK, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway met in Hamburg to sign a declaration making the commitment. The governments have promised to collectively build 5GW of offshore wind capacity every year between 2031 and 2040 by helping to support private sector investments. More than 100 companies have also signed up to an industry declaration that promises to reduce costs and create 91,000 jobs.
Malgosia Bartosik, interim CEO of industry business association WindEurope, said: “Europe is doubling down on offshore wind. Government cooperation on offshore wind buildout can help crowd in €1 trillion of investments in the next decade. This is the best possible response to those who doubt Europe. And our drive to deliver energy that is homegrown, secure and affordable.”
Leading offshore wind developer Ørsted hailed the agreements reached at the Hamburg summit as “a giant leap towards powering Europe with renewable, reliable, and cost-competitive electricity”. Ørsted president and chief executive Rasmus Errboe said the investment pact “shows the leadership taken by the countries in realising the offshore potential of the North Sea.”
In the investment pact announced at the summit in Hamburg, the ten European governments have pledged to provide planning and investment security and derisk offshore wind projects. This includes a commitment to provide two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs) as the standard for offshore wind auction design, to unlock investment and reduce financing costs by providing visibility on revenue.
