State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), Stefan Kapferer, opened the conference held in the BMWi on Development of the North Sea offshore grid.
The event focused on the current issues and regulatory approval of such network. In addition, the initial results of the North Seas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative (NSCOGI) were presented after which a dialogue with the public was launched.
State Secretary Kapferer said: “The expansion of the transnational offshore grid in the North Sea can make a significant contribution to the development of cross-border electricity trade and to help achieve a single European market. The offshore grid enables us and our neighbours, to take better advantage of offshore wind in deep and shallow waters.”
The NSCOGI is a regional initiative, in which Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the European Commission have been working since 2010 on coordinated development of network infrastructure of offshore installations. In December 2012, the initial results of two years’ work of NSCOGI were presented to the ministers involved and EU Commissioner Oettinger.
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Press release, January 24, 2013; Image: 2470 media / Jannis Keil