EU Member States will have to plan the use of their sea space and work together where they share a sea basin, according to a proposed European Commission Directive on maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management published in Brussels.
The European Wind Energy Association is enthusiastic about what this could mean for the development of wind in the EU. In 2012 offshore wind totalled 5 GW in the EU and this is projected to rise to 40 GW employing 170,000 people by 2020, and to 150 GW employing 300,000 people by 2030.
But offshore wind energy is often caught between conflicting uses and rules from different sectors which can create project uncertainty and delays, impairing the sector’s potential for growth - risks that could rise without effective maritime spatial planning as offshore wind energy grows.
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