Nine European Nations Unite to Build Massive 100 GW Wind Farm Network in North Sea
Amsterdam, Saturday, 24 January 2026.
A historic coalition of nine European countries will jointly develop 100 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity in the North Sea, with energy ministers expected to sign the agreement in Hamburg on January 29, 2026. This represents one-third of the ambitious 300 GW target by 2050, positioning the North Sea as Europe’s renewable energy powerhouse. The initiative creates unprecedented opportunities for Dutch companies specializing in offshore engineering and maritime technology.
Unprecedented Scale of Cooperation
The coalition includes the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands among the nine participating nations [1]. Energy ministers are expected to formalize their commitment at a meeting in Hamburg next week, approximately January 29, 2026, pledging to joint clean energy projects through 2050 [1]. This massive undertaking will see transmission system operators begin roughly 20 gigawatts of projects in the 2030s, marking the initial phase of what represents Europe’s largest coordinated offshore wind initiative [1].
Strategic Timeline and Security Implications
The participating countries will commit not only to energy development but also to sharing security-related data and working together to counter threats [1]. This security dimension has gained particular urgency following incidents near the end of 2024, when underwater cables between Finland and Estonia were damaged in what was suspected to be sabotage [6]. The timing of this announcement comes just days after EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra commented on January 21, 2026, regarding differing views on wind power: “We take indeed a fundamentally different view here. We do feel that climate change has huge economic ramifications” [1].
Dutch Innovation at the Forefront
Dutch companies are positioning themselves as key players in this transformation, with Amsterdam-based Optics11 exemplifying the innovation surge [6]. The company, which produces ultra-sensitive underwater microphones to detect potential saboteurs, recently received €25 million from the European Investment Bank on January 15, 2026, with the bank describing the technology as “een revolutie” (a revolution) [6]. Optics11 has experienced remarkable growth, expanding from 40 to 120 employees in the past year and raising €17 million in investments over recent years [6]. The company’s technology has become particularly relevant as Baltic Sea countries installed new underwater security systems using microphones developed in the Netherlands following the 2024 cable incidents [6].
Current North Sea Wind Infrastructure
The North Sea already hosts substantial wind capacity that will serve as the foundation for expansion. Belgian offshore wind farms currently operate with a total capacity of 2.262 GW, including nine wind farms (Mermaid, Nobelwind, Belwind, Seastar, Northwind, Rentel, C-Power, Northwester 2 and Norther) [5]. In 2025, these Belgian installations generated approximately 6.6 TWh, meeting 8.2% of Belgium’s total electricity consumption, though this represented a lower-than-average year due to limited wind conditions [5]. Belgium ranks among Europe’s top five countries for installed offshore wind energy, following the United Kingdom (16.6 GW), Germany (9.1 GW), the Netherlands (4.7 GW), and Denmark (2.7 GW) [5]. The Dutch grid operator TenneT is already advancing significant projects, with the Doordewind wind area in the North Sea scheduled to deliver 4 gigawatts of green energy by 2033, requiring two underground cable systems of 2 gigawatts each connected through Eemshaven [4].