Setting the cornerstones: the NSWPH topical agenda
The topical agenda can be seen as a roadmap for the decision making, explains Programme Director Michiel Müller. “The NSWPH programme is complex. A lot has to be discussed. With the roadmap, we are setting the cornerstones to develop a roadmap for establishing the required international agreements.”
NSEC
On January 28th 2020, the NSWPH consortium presented this topical agenda to the North Sea Energy Cooperation (NSEC), a cooperation of North Sea countries and the European Commission. The NSEC stimulates international collaboration to use the full potential of wind energy in the North Sea. One support group within the NSEC is specifically targeted to bring hybrid, energy cluster projects further. Müller: “We help this team to indicate: where are the actions for policy makers in the North Sea countries? What needs to be decided when, in order to have a first hub-and-spoke project operational in the early 2030s?”
The topical agenda consists of 6 topics: Regional Spatial Planning, Main Principles, Scope, Cost & Benefit, Regulatory&Commercial Framework and Legal Framework. Müller: “The consortium will proactively provide information on all of these topics, in the same order. For example, we are writing a discussion paper about the market setup. We have also mapped the many interdepencies in this programme. We facilitate the decision making in every way we can.”
*The North Seas Energy Cooperation consists of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK. NSEC aims to further strengthen their energy cooperation to improve conditions for the development of offshore wind energy in order to ensure a sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply in the area.
