Workshop: Offshore Wind Energy

Offshore wind parks have been a key driver for MSP as they represent a new place-based infrastructure, often in competition for space with other uses. It is predicted that in order to produce 25,000 MW of electricity in 2030 through offshore wind, approximately 65-70 wind parks. This is expected to require up some 3,500 km2 of Baltic Sea space. Despite these figures, no comprehensive mapping of existing or planned marine wind energy parks exists for the BSR and discussions have mainly taken a national rather than a pan-Baltic perspective.

Title: Marine spatial planning as a tool for coherent offshore wind energy development in the Baltic Sea Region
Date:   12-13 November 2013
Location:  Vilnius, Lithuania
Host: German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH)
Contact: Bettina Käppeler
Downloads: Agenda, Summary report

Background:

  • Introducing and promoting renewable energies from marine sources and space is being widely acknowledged as effectively contributing to fight climate change and reduce negative environmental impacts of traditional energy sources.
  • Offshore wind energy has been given high priority from politics in many countries, with respective national targets announced, respective industry and infrastructure evolving.
  • Offshore wind energy has recently been and will become even more of a major driver for starting to regulate the use of marine space beyond traditional and/or international regulations focusing on fisheries, shipping and cable/pipeline laying or nature protection.
  • Many problems have to be addressed, such as identification of appropriate marine areas for the turbines and cable connections, considering coastal infrastructure and grid integration.
  • Looking beyond national boundaries and having in mind the Baltic Sea as a common asset of its bordering countries, the discussion shall focus on if and how there might be a common approach to use sea space for the production of renewable energy and thus contributing to a stronger integration of the energy markets and reducing the dependency on fossil and nuclear energy sources.

Objectives:

  • Strengthen the importance of addressing offshore wind energy planning in the spatial context at the Pan-Baltic level.

Topics for discussion:

  • Maritime Spatial Planning: Principles
  • Offshore Wind Energy and Marine Spatial Planning : Current status and perspectives in the Baltic Sea region
  • Examples of the offshore wind planning (licensing, regulations)
  • Planning of the energy grid network  in the Baltic Sea Region
  • Future Baltic marine spatial planning vision for the offshore wind energy:
    • Expectations of the wind energy industry towards MSP (offshore wind farms and transmission networks)
    • Potential conflicting sectors and synergies
    • Ways for MSP at Pan-Baltic level to support the development plans of the wind energy sector / National versus pan-Baltic planning

Additionally, the participants were able to contribute to the poster exhibition with plans, maps or project presentations (MSP activities in the BSR, activities in the field of offshore wind energy development, energy grid, technology, conflicts with other interests, etc.)

Presentations:

Recommended reading: