The EU will have to dramatically boost its production of renewable energy to meet its Green Deal targets – enter offshore wind. Policymakers have seized on it generating a steady output of electricity from GW sized wind farms far from where most voters can see them. Even though it offers different benefits from other solutions such as onshore wind and solar, offshore projects face their own challenges in need for urgent actions.
Questions to be addressed include:
- What can the EU do to ease and boost the development of offshore wind while respecting existing environmental protection rules? Are these two objectives irreconcilable?
- What are the main technological hurdles facing an expansion of offshore power, and what are some of the innovations (like floating towers) now transforming the industry?
- How can the EU ensure that it controls the technology and production of wind turbines to guarantee long-term security of supply?
- How can offshore wind energy tenders be designed in a way that maximizes societal value?
- How to reconcile the growing demand for renewable energy with fisheries and marine protection? How can the impact of wind turbines on marine ecosystems be limited?
- What are the best practices countries can learn from frontrunners?
- Can member states boost retraining for offshore oil and gas workers to allow them to work in wind, or will this be a sector for new types of workers?
Following the publication of the Commission’s RePower EU strategy, POLITICO Live convenes a frank discussion to look at the prospects for offshore wind and the hurdles that are hampering wider acceptance.