In March, the European Parliament and Council have adopted the ‘Regulation on Guidelines for Trans-European Energy Infrastructure’. This legislation is another step towards the European objective of an internal energy market which will support the integration of renewable energies and promote the interconnection of energy networks. Integral part of the legislation is the identification of ‘Projects of Common Interest’ (PCIs) which will be subject to a European permitting regime and eligible for European funding. Many of the projects that are proposed for the first list of PCIs are subsea cables. The implementation of these projects will thus be another building block towards an expansion of offshore grid infrastructure in Europe, and towards improved international cooperation to achieve this.
Even though grids to connect offshore wind farms and interconnectors to link national energy markets with each other are currently being planned or implemented in a variety of European countries, the experience of project planners, authorities, governments and NGOs is low in comparison to onshore planning procedures. Questions and uncertainties about the what, when and how of the offshore grid infrastructure remain to be answered.
Wednesday, 26 June
19:00 Welcome reception in Bergen
Thursday, 27 June - Bergen
09:00 Registration and coffee
09:15 Welcome
Antonella Battaglini | RGI
Tor Eigil Hodne | Statnett
09:30 The North Sea and the European offshore expansion – setting the scene:
the interconnector project Norway-UK
Thor Anders Nummedal | Statnett
Mark Pearce | National Grid
10:00 The need case: why do we need offshore grids?
Einar Wilhelmsen | Zero | Presentation
Erlend Draget | WWF Norway | Presentation
Ivan Scrase | RSPB | Presentation
10:30 Overview: where do we stand? What is built, what is planned?
Including overview of marine spatial planning
Theresa Schneider | RGI | Presentation
11:00 Break
11:30 Environmental impacts of offshore grids
Hans-Ulrich Rösner | WWF | Presentation
12:00 Challenges and good practice of permitting regimes
Offshore interconnectors - Results of the Twenties project
Jos Spits, TenneT | Presentation
Streamlining environmental legislation
Martina Doppelhammer | DG Energy | Presentation
Fotios Papoulias | DG Environment | Presentation
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Small discussion groups - Vision exercise: what should be done to overcome current barriers of offshore grid expansion? Which questions need to be answered?
15:00 Case studies: NORD.LINK cable
Maarten Abbenhuis | TenneT
Bjorn Sanden | Stattnet | Presentation
15:30 Break
16:00 Nord Stream – Stakeholder Management for a transboundary gas offshore project
Jens Müller | Nord Stream | Presentation
16:30 Engaging stakeholders in the planning stage – Learnings from Oslo and Hardanger Irene Meldal | Statnett
Julie Evensen | Statnett | Presentation
17:00 What are the lessons from Nord Stream, Oslo, and the Hardanger case and how can they be applied for offshore projects (especially for landfall points)?
Friday, 28 June - Hardanger Fjord
8:30 Excursion to the grid development project in the Hardanger fjord
including stops at several sights in the area and a detailed elaboration on the Hardanger case by Statnett
12:00 Lunch
15:00 End of the workshop - Arrival at Bergen Airport