RGI-WindEurope-OCEaN Conference: Speeding up Nature Positive Offshore Energy Infrastructure Deployment

The combined crises of climate change, biodiversity, and energy security require an acceleration of renewable energy and electricity grids deployment, with offshore wind playing an increasingly relevant contribution in reaching renewable energy targets. However, the degraded state of our marine ecosystems requires due consideration: offshore wind energy projects and connecting grid infrastructure, when properly planned and deployed, can and should instrumentally contribute to the restoration of our seas and become nature positive.

To reconcile potential conflicts between nature and energy infrastructure and reduce risk of delays, careful and comprehensive planning needs to be undertaken and identified solutions need to be deployed at scale by permitting authorities and project developers alike as part of the timely achievement of EU’s renewable energy and nature restoration goals. With this in mind, the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI), WindEurope and the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) co-organised a conference in Brussels on 19 October 2022 to discuss challenges and possible solutions for accelerating offshore energy infrastructure deployment while also restoring Europe’s marine ecosystems.

Participants discussed joint solutions for implementing, financing, and disseminating practices on nature positive offshore energy and grid infrastructure throughout the day in panel discussions, break-out sessions and a Community of Practices fair. To learn more about the conference, download presentations from our speakers, view the agenda and browse photos from the event below.

For more information or in case of questions, please get in touch with charlotte@renewables-grid.eu.