War in Iran Makes Europe Spring Into Action on Offshore Wind; Industry, Governments and NATO Meet in Madrid

“The European offshore wind industry is gearing up to deliver”, WindEurope said on 23 April as energy ministers from the North Sea countries, together with the industry, transmission system operators (TSOs), and NATO, met in Madrid to discuss the next steps on implementing the Hamburg Declaration, signed in January. The European wind energy organisation also published a new policy paper on the physical security of offshore wind energy infrastructure.

In this article:

• Governments, Industry Talk Next Steps: Implementing Hamburg Declaration
• WindEurope Presents Policy Paper to Secure Offshore Wind Infrastructure

At the North Sea Summit in Hamburg in January, energy ministers of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK confirmed their ambition to build 300 GW of offshore wind in the North Seas by 2050 and agreed to work towards up to 100 GW of cross-border offshore wind capacity by that time.

The nine countries also pledged to contribute to the build-out of 15 GW of offshore wind annually from 2031 to 2040, with at least 10 GW to be backed by two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs), the rest via Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).

As part of an all-encompassing approach to the commitments made in Hamburg, the state governments, the offshore wind industry and TSOs also signed an investment pact in January, which is said to mobilise EUR 1 trillion in economic activity.

At WindEurope Annual Event 2026 in Madrid, governments and the industry met in Madrid to turn offshore wind commitments into action at a critical moment, the organisation said. Europe’s offshore wind deployment had been slowed by bad auction design, increased costs of capital and lack of visibility for the supply chain due to an uncertain project pipeline. Due to all this, Europe will build just 70 GW of the 120 GW of offshore wind capacity it aimed to have by 2030, according to WindEurope.

“The war in Iran reminded Europe, again, that it needs to replace imported fossil fuels with homegrown, secure electricity. Offshore wind delivers the energy Europe needs. It is homegrown, scalable and cost-effective”, WindEurope said.

The meeting in Madrid focused on one task: implementing the Hamburg Declaration to deliver more offshore wind to strengthen Europe’s energy security and competitiveness, and a lasting value for consumers and communities, according to the organisation.

“At the North Sea Summit in January leaders committed to an accelerated and more consistent expansion of offshore wind. Europe has no time to waste, making this commitment a reality. Offshore wind helps lower electricity costs for households and businesses. And it shields Europe from geopolitics and fuel price swings”, said Tinne van der Straeten, WindEurope CEO.

The wind energy organisation also published a new policy paper on the security of offshore wind and related subsea energy infrastructure, saying that energy infrastructure across Europe’s seas is increasingly exposed to sabotage, interference and hybrid activity.

The policy paper also follows commitments from the January meeting in Hamburg, when the North Sea countries’ governments agreed to prioritise securing the offshore infrastructure, as well as several incidents that were identified over the past few years as potential risks of sabotage of offshore and subsea assets in the North Sea, the latest being a Russian vessel that was observed near UK offshore wind farms.

“Export cables, substations and offshore wind assets are spread over large maritime areas and are, by nature, difficult to protect. Disruptions would not just affect single projects. They would impact grids, industry and households”, WindEurope said.

WindEurope says physical security for wind energy infrastructure should be addressed early in project design and implemented through stable regulatory and permitting frameworks, rather than through auction mechanisms. Security, it notes, should not be treated as a competitive element.

The organisation emphasises that wind farms must remain civilian assets and should not be militarised. While developers are responsible for asset-level protection, including detecting and reporting abnormal activity, responsibility for defence, enforcement and response remains with states. It adds that changes to this balance could affect the bankability of offshore wind projects.

According to WindEurope, effective protection should rely on risk-based measures, early planning and coordination with public authorities. It highlights that wind energy is critical infrastructure, and its protection is essential for ensuring energy security.

“The European wind industry is doing its part to protect offshore wind farms. With the new policy paper, we stress that the physical security of Europe’s wind turbines must be treated as an integral part of energy security. Not as an afterthought. Wind turbines are critical energy infrastructure. Their protection needs a risk-based, proportionate and clear cost allocation between Government and industry”, said Tinne van der Straeten.

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