International cooperations
North Sea Summits
The first North Sea Summit took place in May 2022 in Esbjerg, Denmark. Heads of state and government from Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands met with industry representatives. The summit ended with the adoption of the Esbjerg Declaration, in which the four founding countries set a common goal to cost-effectively develop their combined offshore power generation capacity and quadruple it to 150 GW by 2050. This is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 150 million European households. To achieve this, several interconnected offshore energy projects and hubs, large-scale offshore wind parks and interconnectors for electricity and green hydrogen will be developed and built. This will make the North Sea the largest sustainable energy hub in Europe.
The second North Sea Summit took place in Ostend, Belgium, in April 2023. The founding countries of Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands were joined by France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway and Luxembourg to form the largest North Sea energy coalition to date. In the concluding Ostend Declaration, the participants reaffirmed their common desire to develop the North Sea into Europe's green power plant.
The next North Sea Summit is scheduled to take place in Hamburg at the end of 2025.
Offshore TSO Collaboration
The Offshore TSO Collaboration (OTC) is an informal group of offshore transmission system operators from nine countries bordering the North Sea and extending beyond the EU. Amprion is working with international partners in this group to develop offshore grids in the North Sea, in line with the political declarations of and .
Amprion works with international partners in this group on the development of offshore grids in the North Sea. The group prepares joint expert papers containing ideas and proposed solutions for the current common challenges.
Based on the political declarations of Esbjerg (2022) and Ostend (2023), this group of international TSOs develops joint expert papers that include ideas and solutions for the current shared challenges regarding the development of offshore networks in the Northern Seas.
During the WindEurope Anual Event 2025, the Offshore TSO Collaboration (OTC) presented the initial results of a pilot study it undertook which is aimed at developing a joint European offshore grid in the North Sea. The expert paper “Joint Planning in Europe’s Northern Seas - Supporting Europe’s energy security and competitive growth through a regional approach to offshore grid development“ includes a grid map that outlines promising cross-border projects. These projects are not considered in isolation; instead, they are considered as part of a broader offshore regional grid in the Northern Seas, maximising synergies and cost efficiencies. This represents an important step towards a more affordable, secure and reliable offshore system that strengthens Europe’s energy supply and independence while supporting its decarbonisation goals. These results will be further developed until the North Sea Summit at the end of 2025 and supplemented by initial findings on the topic of cost sharing.
The co-ordination and investigation processes for possible project topologies in the North Sea remains the focus of the collaboration. The transmission system operators (TSOs) are developing specific project ideas based on the transmission requirements identified in the Offshore Grid Development Plan (ONDP). These proposals will be integrated into ENTSO-E's Ten-Year Grid Development Plan ( TYNDP) and the national planning processes. The group is discussing whether framework conditions need to be adapted to realise the first hybrid projects.
The aim of this international cooperation is to accelerate the development and implementation of offshore grids and support ambitious political goals. By collaborating on practical solutions for a coordinated expansion of the European offshore grid, we can fully utilise the potential of the North Sea and achieve maximum social benefit.
Investigation of cross-border interconnection with Denmark and Norway
In 2023, Amprion signed two separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with Denmark ( press release) and Norway ( press release) to investigate the feasibility of hybrid interconnectors. Amprion began bilateral cooperation with the Danish transmission system operator Energinet in April 2023 and with the Norwegian transmission system operator Statnett in November 2023 as part of the MoU. A hybrid interconnector links both offshore wind parks and countries with each other. The collaboration with Denmark and Norway aims to discuss technical and economic aspects. The connection of Germany - Denmark and Germany - Norway via a hybrid interconnector is a key element in supporting the development of offshore grids in the North Sea and achieving the EU's climate targets. Such projects would also strengthen system stability in Europe.
As a consequence, the offshore interconnection between Amprion and Energinet will be proposed as a project for the next TYNDP 2024 ( project 1214, TYNDP).
Eurobar
Eurobar stands for 'European Offshore Busbar' and is an initiative of eight European transmission system operators. The member countries cover several European sea basins. The group is working together on technical standards and examining regulatory conditions to connect wind farms in the future.
The aim is to bundle wind power via a European offshore network and ensure efficient distribution in Europe. The initiative aims to establish technical standards and exchange knowledge on regulatory and technical issues. The introduction of standards for transmission system operators will enable the connection of offshore wind parks in the future. For more information on the initiative, visit Eurobar.
