In focus: European countries working shoulder to shoulder to curb climate change

With temperatures reaching all-time high all over the globe, it is difficult not to question whether we are doing enough to stop or even slow down global warming. But that did not interrupt the European energy players to make new deals and link up with each other to reap the benefits of the offshore energy sector while trying to stay on their net-zero course.

This week in the clean fuel realm, the European Commission (EC), Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Australia have signed a joint statement that reinforces their efforts towards the reduction of methane emissions arising across the values chain of LNG, from production to consumption.

The EU continues tackling methane emissions, spearheading the Global Methane Pledge and the Joint Declaration from Energy Importers and Exporters on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuels alongside the U.S., while implementing the EU Methane Strategy at the EU level.

Reducing methane emissions, including in the energy sector is one of the priorities of the European Green Deal which aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050.

The UK was the bellwether of the offshore energy transition this week, with the completion of the Viking Link.

The last section of the submarine cable for the Viking Link has been installed in the North Sea, making the UK and Denmark now fully electrically connected.

The 765-kilometer-long connection represents a DKK 13 billion investment and is planned to be completed at the end of 2023. The project has the capacity to export and import 1.4 GW of electricity, equivalent to the electricity consumption of more than 1.4 million households.

“The completion of the cable laying on Viking Link is a fantastic moment for both Great Britain and Denmark. After many years of planning and construction, we are fully connected – from one power grid to another – and another step closer to being able to share green energy with each other for the first time,” said CEO of Eltransmission in Energinet, Henrik Riis.

Another highlight from this week that came from the UK was from its energy market regulator Ofgem who granted electricity interconnector licenses for two energy links that will connect the UK with two EU countries.

LionLink, the project being developed by the Dutch TenneT and UK’s National Grid, will connect a Dutch offshore wind farm with a capacity of 2 GW to both countries via subsea interconnections.

Developed by National Grid Ventures, the multi-purpose interconnector Nautilus proposes to connect up to 1.4 GW of offshore wind to the UK and Belgium through subsea electricity cables. By combining offshore wind generation with interconnector capacity between the UK and Belgium, approximately 1.4 million UK homes could be powered.

Staying in the UK, it is also worth noting that the construction of the EUR 2.8 billion NeuConnect project has begun, the first-ever energy link between the UK and Germany.

With some 725 kilometers of land and subsea cables, NeuConnect will become one of the world’s largest interconnectors once operational by 2028.

The project, led by global investors Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners, Kansai Electric Power and TEPCO, will allow up to 1.4 GW of electricity to flow in both directions – enough to power up to 1.5 million homes over its lifetime – helping to boost energy security and resilience and to integrate renewable energy sources in the UK and Germany.

In the marine energy sector, SeaVolt project partners, which include Tractebel, DEME, and Jan De Nul, are making final preparations to install its first offshore solar energy test platform in the Belgian North Sea.

The test platform will be the first installation in the Belgian North Sea aimed at the large-scale development of offshore solar energy and is scheduled to be towed offshore, anchored, and put into operation to gather data for at least a year starting in August 2023.

With its modular design, the technology is said to be highly suitable for installation as a complement to offshore wind farms.

As part of its environmental strategy, USV AS, a joint venture company established by Danish DeepOcean, Solstad Offshore and Østensjø, has contracted Astilleros Gondán shipyard to build its first unmanned surface vessel (USV).

Expected to enter service in 2025, the USV will be utilised for subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) work at offshore wind farms.

It is said that the USV solution could reduce CO2 emissions by more than 90 per cent compared to a conventional offshore vessel when conducting subsea IMR operations.

As for the green marine sector, Swiss marine power company WinGD has revealed that it is on track to deliver its first X-DF-A dual-fuel ammonia engine by the first quarter of 2025.

As explained, the confirmation is backed by recent rapid progress in developing an engine concept capable of using zero-carbon fuel efficiently. The company expects the first X-DF-A powered vessels to be in service from 2026.