About the POWER project

The Interreg III programmes are a European Community Initiative to stimulate transnational cooperation in the EU between 2000 and 2006. Interreg IIIB programmes cover larger transnational areas and the North Sea Region comprises areas of Sweden, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, The Flemish Region of Belgium, UK and Norway. The areas in the region share many of the same problems and challenges and by working together and sharing knowledge and experiences it is hoped that a sustainable and balanced future will be secured for the whole region.

The programme is financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), a Norwegian equivalent and contributions from all of the countries involved. Decisions are taken by committees made up of national and regional representatives from all seven countries and the day-to-day running of the programme is taken care of by the international staff at the secretariat in Denmark. The Programme finances a wide range of projects concerned with spatial development. All projects involve the cooperation of two or more countries and every country in the North Sea region is participating.

POWER has been accepted as being a sustainable energy partner of Sustainable Energy Europe (SEE) 2005-2008. SEE is a European campaign to raise awareness and change the landscape of energy. For more information click here www.sustenergy.org

• to unify offshore wind competence regions around the North Sea,
• to exchange experience and to learn from each other,
• to set up common strategies and real business to business contacts overcoming economic changes,
• to respond to new educational needs on the university and further education levels and
• to disseminate the obtained results to others

Aim of the project

POWER aims to support those regions with opportunities and ambitions in OWE, by establishing a common platform for discussion, exchange and transnational initiatives. Wind energy plays an important role in the context of climate protection and the need for a comprehensive change in energy production. In several countries around the North Sea Region (NSR) wind turbines already account for a considerable proportion of electricity supplies. However, onshore wind turbines can be difficult to reconcile with the many existing land interests and this, combined with new wind energy technology, is paving the way for upcoming large-scale offshore wind farms in the NSR.

Especially offshore wind (located in the 12sm and the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ zones) has an enormous potential to contribute substantially to European and global climate protection. The main aim of POWER is to push the use of offshore wind energy (OWE) power in the participating regions and to enable the public sector to deal with the multiple challenges. The coastal regions around the North Sea are already confronted with these challenges, some of them are responding with comprehensive future oriented-strategies, combining innovative small and medium sized enterprises with scientific facilities and open-minded public administrations, forming together alliances to push their respective regions towards offshore competence regions. Additionally, offshore wind provides a unique opportunity to regenerate the economies of coastal regions that suffer from high unemployment and economic decline, due to their often relatively peripheral location, the collapse in fish stocks and the decline in the traditional offshore industries. POWER will tackle major barriers to the adoption of OWE at all levels. Local and regional actors will get a set of solutions that they will promote in their everyday work. Establishing and widening the OWE sector will contribute to replace fossil fuels, to decrease the emissions of greenhouse gases and will help to double the share of renewable energy from 6 to 12 % by 2010, a target set up by the EC’s White Paper on Renewable Energy Sources in 1997. The NORVISION document demands in its Vision Statement 4 a “more intensive use of wind energy” and “the development of renewable energy resources” as such.