Ireland, Belgium, UK to Work More Closely on Renewables, Transmission Interconnections

Ireland’s Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan and his Belgian and UK counterparts, Minister Tinne van der Straeten and Andrew Bowie, have signed a Joint Statement Bruges, Belgium for greater cooperation on renewables and interconnection opportunities between the three countries.

Ryan discussed the role of multilateral approach to address Europe’s collective climate responsibilities. According to the minister, for Ireland specifically, the most effective way to take advantage of offshore wind potential in the future is to put in place the infrastructure allowing access to other markets.

The statement allows for closer cooperation in offshore wind energy between the three countries. It is built on the ambition declared at the North Sea Summit, held in Ostend in 2023 and attended by the then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Ryan, to accelerate the development of offshore wind in the North Seas, including the Irish Sea, Celtic Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

Together, the nine countries involved in the Ostend Declaration aim offshore wind targets of about 120 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050 in the North Seas. Currently, the North Sea has a combined capacity of less than 30 GW.

The renewed cooperation between the three states will also establish a working group to produce a report on the shared challenges, opportunities and solutions to develop offshore renewable energy infrastructure.

EirGrid, supporting Ireland’s interconnection policy, and as part of the development of the country’s forward-looking transmission strategy, will engage with its counterparts in Belgium and UK and will report back to their respective ministries with options for trilateral arrangements between the three countries including any challenges related to these options.

The work is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.