Energy transition in the North Sea

The Dutch government is committed to several climate change agreements and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In addition, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has focused renewed attention on the need to ensure the security of the Dutch energy supply. Expanding offshore renewable energy generation is one way to achieve these goals. The Netherlands has set ambitious targets of 21 GW of offshore wind capacity in the North Sea by 2030, increasing to 72 GW by 2050. Achieving these targets, while taking into account limited offshore space, intermittency issues and the need for cost-effective energy transport to shore, will require the deployment of innovative offshore energy technologies. These include alternative cable connections, electricity storage and hydrogen production and transport infrastructure. However, the successful deployment of these technologies depends on a stable and supportive legal framework. The absence of such a framework could discourage investment and delay offshore deployment. This research, therefore, presents a legal response to enable the large-scale development of offshore wind energy in the Dutch part of the North Sea. It addresses the legal challenges associated with the deployment of these innovative offshore energy technologies and proposes potential solutions to overcome them, advocating for a more integrated regulatory approach to offshore energy activities.

Dissertation: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/54f55bdf-4065-410e-8c14-e785a6cf1dc7