At a summit meeting of four North Sea countries in Denmark, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called for courage and speed in the expansion of wind energy. “We have to be brave. We have to do it now,” Scholz said on Wednesday at a plant owned by wind turbine manufacturer Vestas on the Danish coast in Esbjerg. “This is not a business of the future. It’s a deal for today.”
Germany has resolved to make all the necessary decisions this year, the Chancellor emphasized in front of his counterparts from Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Now is the time to set off, and now we’re setting off,” said Scholz.
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At their meeting in Denmark, the four North Sea states want to set common, ambitious goals for the expansion of offshore wind energy and commit to common energy islands and connections in the North Sea in order to strengthen the European market for renewable energies. The four countries want to quadruple their offshore capacity by 2030 – to a total of at least 65 gigawatts, as the heads of government agreed on Wednesday in the town of Esbjerg on the Danish coast.
By 2050, the capacity is to be expanded to 150 gigawatts, a tenfold increase compared to today. “This is not just an explanation, but the toolbox for what we have to do and will do in the near future,” said Scholz (SPD).
“In this way we are strengthening the European expansion of renewable energies and thus further reducing dependence on gas imports,” said Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens), who had traveled to Denmark with the Chancellor to sign the declaration of the four states.
