Europe is moving towards a climate-neutral energy system that is reliable and affordable. The North Sea plays a key role in this. The North Sea has been an important region to help shape our future energy supply. At first with oil and gas production and now increasingly with multiple forms of renewable energy. With the current energy challenges that Europe is facing, the North Sea is a secure source of affordable energy. The North Sea offers opportunities for large-scale wind energy, solar & marine energy, hydrogen production and underground carbon storage.

The North Sea Energy program (NSE) aims to identify and assess opportunities for synergies between multiple low-carbon energy developments offshore with optimal value for society and nature.

With almost 40 public and private organisations and international partners from the energy value chain, NSE differentiates itself through the participatory process, knowledge sharing and knowledge brokerage.

An integrated approach of the North Sea requires a multi-faceted study. The North Sea Energy Atlas provides perspectives from technology, market, society, ecology, spatial planning and regulations. Besides energy, it incorporates other North Sea activities as well, such as transport, ecology and defence.

One of the key innovations and central element in the NSE programme is the stepping stone from the North Sea Energy Atlas to the development of an open-access IT toolbox that enables the creation of a blueprint for the design of offshore energy systems, including planning, simulation and optimisation. This will allow decision-makers and policymakers to create their own cross-sectional scenarios in any desired composition of offshore energy system elements. In the course of 2024, the new version of the North Sea Energy Atlas will become available. If you want to take a look in advance, check out the current version.