OCEaN Public Statement: The expansion of offshore renewable energy and simultaneous protection of marine ecosystems is necessary and possible

To meet increasing decarbonisation targets, renewable energy capacity needs to be scaled up urgently. Members of the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) are committed to addressing the climate and biodiversity crises together through environmentally sound solutions for deploying offshore wind energy and subsea electricity grids.

A sustainable energy system, in which increasing shares of offshore renewables play a key role, needs to respect marine biodiversity, in line with the mitigation hierarchy as well as protection and conservation measures. Offshore energy infrastructure, therefore, should be planned long-term and based on ecosystem-based maritime spatial planning, taking into account cumulative environmental impacts at sea basin scale. Through collaborative actions, across borders and sectors, it is possible to develop solutions beneficial for nature, the climate and our economy.

The interlinkages between achieving the climate targets through the decarbonisation of the energy system and nature protection need to be considered in upcoming European discussions and decisions on offshore wind energy. This includes the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, the adoption of the European Climate Law, the  implementation of the European Commission’s (EC) Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and of Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy (ORE) as well as the associated debates at the European Parliament.

The signatories of this statement include OCEaN members and other supporting organisations.

Statement signatories

Contact:

Johanna Meier
Manager - Energy Ecosystems

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t: +49 30 7677194 52
johanna[at]renewables-grid.eu

RGI gratefully acknowledges the EU LIFE funding support:

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the LIFE Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.