Facing off against Moscow, Europe is accelerating its development of offshore wind power in the North Sea.

This third summit on energy and security cooperation in the North Sea region is taking place in a context of diplomatic tensions, due to the Russian threat and American ambitions for Greenland, which are also at the center of the debates.

In this strategic area, Europeans want to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind power, a colossal industrial challenge for the decarbonization of the continent.

The energy ministers of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway signed a joint declaration on Monday to create "the world's largest clean energy hub".

At the second edition of this summit in 2023, participating countries agreed to develop up to 300 gigawatts of energy capacity in the North Sea by 2050, with an intermediate target of 120 GW for 2030, which so far is on track to be missed, according to industry experts.

"Security of supplies"

The new agreement stipulates that Germany, Norway, France, Denmark and the United Kingdom will launch an "unprecedented fleet" of offshore wind projects, representing a total capacity of 100 GW, according to a separate statement from the British Department of Energy which does not specify a timetable.

This production is equivalent to the electricity needs of nearly 100 million homes.

The agreement should allow for the "resilience" and "security of supply" of Europe, said Katherina Reiche, German Ministry of Economy and Energy.

"The summit exceeded expectations in terms of political and industrial announcements," Nick Mabey, director of the climate think tank E3G, told AFP.

But he now expects action, because so far he deplores "a very national approach" in Europe on offshore wind power and a cooperation "that is not taking place" between the Ministries of Defense and Energy.

Germany and Denmark have also agreed on a project called "Bornholm Energy Island" which aims to make the island of Bornholm, located in the Baltic Sea, a nerve center for offshore wind energy.

Wind power gained importance with the decision by Europeans, following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, to no longer be dependent on Russian gas, despite the surge in energy prices that this caused.

"We are sending a very clear signal to Russia: we will no longer allow you to use energy against us," said Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy.

"This threat from the East is still present. Added to this is a challenge from the West, with an American partner that can prove unpredictable," French Economy Minister Roland Lescure told AFP, as many countries, including Germany, source liquefied gas from the United States.

Unity around Greenland

The countries bordering the North Sea also want to offer better visibility to industrialists, as sabotage and espionage operations in the region have been attributed to Russia.

NATO was also represented at the summit, amid a resurgence of tensions over energy infrastructure in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

"Since our creation, we have also invested in security," but the subject is gaining importance, Manon Van Beek, CEO of the Dutch company TenneT, a major player in electric transport networks, told AFP.

She assures that she is "cooperating closely" with the police and NATO.

The future of Greenland, coveted by Washington, was not officially on the agenda of the summit.

But the issue was still present, even though in Davos, Donald Trump retracted his threat to seize Greenland by force.

"Denmark and the people of Greenland can count on our solidarity," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"Europe has shown strength and unity in recent weeks," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

She added: "I am grateful for it, but I must also say that it is the only way forward."