Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, participated in the Baltic Sea Summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday.
It ended with Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland and Sweden signing a declaration committing to multiplying by seven the current offshore wind capacity of the region, up to 20 gigawatts by 2030.
At the concluding press conference, von der Leyen said: “The Baltic Sea Leaders’ Summit shows that a wind of change is blowing across Europe.”
“We are harnessing the power of wind to break free from Russian fossil fuels and to become climate-neutral. And offshore wind energy can make a huge contribution to that. With the targets that have been set today, Baltic Sea offshore wind will cover the energy consumption of around six million households by 2030.”
“That is more than the number of households in Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia combined. That is amazing.” The commitments taken at the Baltic Sea Summit would already deliver one-third of EU’s 2030 target of at least 60 GW installed offshore wind capacity, as set by the renewable strategy.”
She added, “To boost offshore wind in Europe, the Commission invests €5.6 billion from NextGenerationEU, supports regional initiatives and hybrid common projects, provides guidance on grid network development plans and works to speed up permitting.”
