Beyond turbines: Powering the future and boosting marine nature

Europe is committed to expanding wind energy capacity to address the climate crisis while bolstering energy security, with a significant share of wind infrastructure planned at sea. At the same time, the European Commission and EU Member States have set ambitious plans to protect and restore marine ecosystems to address the biodiversity crisis, with binding targets for 2030. However, these commitments and the respective European policy frameworks must be coherent and aligned to ensure their effective implementation and the achievement of our shared objectives. 

To tackle this, the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature and the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI organised an interactive two-part side-event to explore how policies can be translated into implementation and concrete projects, aiming to find solutions together. 

In our first session, wind developers, Transmission System Operators (TSOs), NGOs, and policymakers shared their perspectives on aligning the interests of different sea users with nature and offshore wind infrastructure. Through an active debate, we examined the complexities of the most pressing challenges in planning at the national and sea basin levels and identified solutions to expand offshore wind and grids while protecting nature.  

Our second session showcased concrete examples of ecosystem restoration and nature-inclusive design solutions implemented by offshore wind developers and TSOs, or in collaboration with them. Panellists presented their existing projects, discussed the challenges they have encountered, and shared their plans for scaling up these solutions. Expert speakers from across OCEaN’s Membership showcased how various sectors can work together to develop a nature-friendly offshore energy future.