Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has signed the Hamburg Declaration, a new clean‑energy security pact with several European partners, aimed at bolstering long‑term energy security across the UK and Europe. The agreement, finalised on 26 January, commits North Sea nations to a substantial programme of joint offshore wind development at a time of heightened geopolitical instability and volatile global energy markets.
The pact will accelerate the deployment of a new generation of shared offshore wind projects between the UK, Germany, Norway, France and Denmark. These schemes will utilise the North Sea’s extensive renewable resources and include advanced ‘offshore hybrid assets’ — wind farms connected directly to more than one country via interconnectors. For the first time, participating nations have agreed to deliver 100GW of offshore wind capacity through joint projects by 2050, representing one‑third of the 300GW pledged collectively following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The agreement follows a record‑breaking offshore wind auction in the UK, which secured 8.4GW of capacity earlier this month and is expected to generate 7,000 jobs and £22 billion of private investment into British ports and manufacturing facilities. The UK entered the summit positioning itself as a leading contributor to the transformation of the North Sea into what ministers are calling the world’s largest ‘clean energy reservoir’.
Mr Miliband said: “We are standing up for our national interest by driving for clean energy, which can get the UK off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and give us energy sovereignty and abundance. After our record renewables auction, we today went further by signing a clean energy security pact with European allies to ensure we maximise the clean energy potential for the North Sea.”
Politically unstable regionsIndustry leaders expect the declaration to unlock a wave of new joint developments, reinforcing the importance of interconnectors in balancing supply across Europe and reducing reliance on fossil‑fuel imports from politically unstable regions. Agreements signed at the summit also outline closer cooperation on grid planning, cost‑sharing arrangements and the acceleration of cross‑border offshore infrastructure.
Ben Wilson, president of
National Grid Ventures, said: “Today is a step towards a more integrated energy system in the North Sea. LionLink and projects like those being announced today are important for maximising the efficient use of resources, reducing costs, and minimising the impact on coastal communities. Collaboration on projects like these are key to delivering on more secure, affordable energy for British and European consumers.”
Dhara Vyas,
Energy UK CEO, said: “The UK’s energy sector is fully behind the landmark efforts to be announced at the Hamburg North Sea Summit to transform the North Sea into a truly regional clean power hub. Delivering the goal of 100GW of offshore cooperation projects by 2050 will require a relentless focus on maintaining the momentum of UK‑EU alignment on electricity market coupling and ETS linkage. This deeper cooperation on supply chains, standardisation, and shared infrastructure is not just a strategic necessity, it is the most effective way to bring down energy costs for households and businesses while fuelling sustainable economic growth and high-value jobs for years to come.”
Jane Cooper, deputy chief executive of
RenewableUK, said: “This ambitious announcement to build a vast number of new offshore wind farms jointly with our European partners will increase the energy security of the UK and the whole of the North Sea region significantly. This historic declaration puts offshore wind right at the heart of Europe’s power system, with the UK leading the way. We are strengthening our security collaboration to ensure the North Sea’s critical energy infrastructure is protected from harm, so that we can continue to generate the huge quantities of clean power needed by the UK and our neighbours reliably at all times.”
Full potential of the North SeaWilliam Bain, head of trade policy at the
British Chambers of Commerce, said: “It is essential for the UK’s energy security and economic growth that we co-operate more closely with our European allies to realise the full potential of the North Sea. The commitments set out in the Hamburg Declaration will deliver on that, allowing our businesses to work on joint projects on renewables, interconnectors and other vital energy infrastructure. The momentum from today’s
Summit and Business Conference needs to be kept up.”
Enrique Cornejo, energy policy director at
Offshore Energies UK, said: “In an increasingly volatile world, this deal sets ambitious targets for UK and European offshore wind collaboration. 100GW from such joint projects would become a major part of our shared North Sea energy mix, which will include oil, gas and also hydrogen for decades to come. Affordable and secure energy is key to the UK’s future and to those of our European partners. The future of the North Sea is in our hands.”
Gus Jaspert, managing director for marine at
The Crown Estate, said: “The UK’s offshore wind sector is a national success story and an engine of economic growth. It attracts billions in investment, supports tens of thousands of jobs across the country and each new turbine built boosts our energy security. As such we welcome opportunities for the UK to use its world-leading experience in offshore wind and work closely with international partners in the North Sea to collectively drive clean energy generation and enable greater energy security at a time of geopolitical uncertainty.”