The embassy in Berlin on offshore wind: Norway can be left out of an important European renewable initiative
In May, the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen gathered his prime minister colleagues from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands plus the European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen for a summit on wind power from the North Sea. The meeting took place in Esbjerg. Norway was not visiting.
Denmark takes the lead
The statement from the meeting in Esbjerg launches a plan to develop 150 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2050. The plan is to build four energy islands, ie artificial islands that collect power from offshore wind farms. On the energy islands, electricity is collected and sent on to the European mainland.
Energy and Climate has been given access to a report from the Berlin Embassy. This has been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the Ministry of Climate and the Environment and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, among others. It is dated June 21st.
Norway is lagging behind
In the report, the embassy warns about the consequences of Norway not participating in the Esbjerg initiative:
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“If Norway is not appropriately linked to this initiative, there is a significant risk that we will fall behind, as the embassy in Copenhagen has also pointed out.”
It was Today’s business which in May this year mentioned the warning from the Norwegian embassy in Copenhagen. It pointed out that Norway could be left behind as an offshore wind nation, because we chose to stay out of this cooperation.
Rarely mentioned as an offshore wind nation
The embassy in Berlin writes that it is rare for Norway to be mentioned in connection with European offshore wind efforts:
«The major players (UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark) most often point out in addition to Germany itself. Some German contacts have expressed to the embassy a certain astonishment that Norway has come so late on the field in offshore wind, but points out that this may now be about to change. “
What the embassy here refers to is the news about the Norwegian offshore wind initiative to expand 30 GW before 2040. Some professional media and local media in northern Germany picked up this news.
“But was overshadowed by the Esbjerg meeting the following week – which received very extensive media coverage,” it is concluded.
The embassy points out that German government members refer to the Esbjerg declaration as “a toolbox.” In addition, this is a European project.
Essential for other questions
Like the report from the Norwegian Embassy in Copenhagen, the Norwegian envoys in Berlin are concerned about the longer-term consequences.
“Norway’s positioning on this issue will have an impact on whether we succeed in selling Norwegian solutions in other areas as well. Yes, the more we are seen as part of the overall picture – with contributions in all facets of the energy transition – the easier it will be to position Norway as a first choice in energy issues, and Norwegian companies as key pieces in the puzzle, “the embassy writes in its report and continues:
“This requires that we are clear that we are participating in the development of energy solutions in our and Germany’s neighboring areas in Northern Europe, and speak highly of it,” it says.
MPE: We cooperate well
Energy and Climate has asked the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) whether it is relevant for Norway to join the Esbjerg cooperation.
Inedid Communication Officer Ingrid Lønrusten Rogstad writes in an e-mail:
“We cooperate well on offshore wind with the countries around the North Sea through the North Sea Cooperation (NSEC), where we discuss frameworks for the development of offshore wind in the North Sea. The Esbjerg declaration will be followed up in the NSEC. “
NSEC is a collaboration which, among other things, will look at grid solutions for renewable energy from the North Sea. The collaboration is far from as concrete as the Esbjerg Declaration proposes.
Strengthen cooperation with Germany
Norway and Germany have issued joint declarations at the political level on co-operation. The embassy points out that offshore wind is important in the energy and industrial dialogue that is now being developed between Norway and Germany.
But everything is obviously not in order yet:
«This will require targeted and strategic work both at the official level and in the policy instruments. Much is already underway and can be built on, for example, a bilateral working group on offshore wind has recently been established in which both the policy instruments and the embassies participate. But there is still a way to go in terms of Norwegian positioning, “the report states.
The report from Berlin was written by First Secretary Katrine Haukenes and approved by Ambassador Torgeir Larsen. He was State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Stoltenberg government.