ClientEarth’s feedback to the Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy Roadmap

ClientEarth's feedback on the EU's Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy emphasizes the need for high environmental standards, public transparency, and regional cooperation. It argues that the strategy must adhere to the 'do no harm' principle and the precautionary principle, ensuring that the deployment of offshore wind and other ocean energies does not compromise biodiversity or ignore the rights of public participation under the Aarhus Convention. The document suggests a regional approach to grid development and targeted financial support for technologies that have not yet reached grid parity, such as wave energy.

• Offshore renewable energy in Europe has significant potential, with expectations of over 250GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050 and other ocean energies potentially providing up to 10% of the EU's electricity needs by 2050.
• The Offshore Strategy must be grounded in EU legal principles, specifically the 'do no harm' principle from the European Green Deal, the precautionary principle (Article 191(2) TFEU), and the energy solidarity principle (Article 194(1) TFEU).
• Environmental assessments for offshore projects must comply with several frameworks, including the Espoo Convention, the Habitats Directive, and the Birds Directive, and must align with the Circular Economy Action Plan for their entire lifecycle.
• Public participation and transparency are critical to avoid litigation and delays; the strategy must adhere to the Aarhus Convention's rules on access to information and justice in environmental matters.
• Financial support should be adjusted based on technology costs; while some offshore wind projects in the North Sea are now developed without public support, technologies like wave energy and floating offshore wind that have not reached grid parity require special consideration.
• Regional cooperation is essential and should utilize existing platforms such as the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC), the Baltic Energy Interconnection Plan (BEMIP), and various Regional Sea Conventions (Barcelona, Bucharest, HELCOM, and OSPAR).
• Coordinated planning of the layout for offshore wind farms is necessary because high concentrations of turbines in areas like the German North Sea may reduce wind speeds and turbine performance.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). ClientEarth’s feedback to the Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy Roadmap. https://www.clientearth.org/media/wlqlx4a1/2020-08-01-clientearths-feedback-to-the-offshore-renewable-energy-strategy-roadmap-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. ClientEarth’s feedback to the Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy Roadmap. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/wlqlx4a1/2020-08-01-clientearths-feedback-to-the-offshore-renewable-energy-strategy-roadmap-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=ClientEarth’s feedback to the Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy Roadmap |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/wlqlx4a1/2020-08-01-clientearths-feedback-to-the-offshore-renewable-energy-strategy-roadmap-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearthndclientearths, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{ClientEarth’s feedback to the Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy Roadmap}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/wlqlx4a1/2020-08-01-clientearths-feedback-to-the-offshore-renewable-energy-strategy-roadmap-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }