Environmental Baseline Study for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources, Energy storages and a Meshed Electricity Grid in the North and Irish Seas

The development of an offshore renewable energy system in the Irish and North Seas represents a significant opportunity towards meeting the EU's energy, environmental, growth and employment objectives. The region has a vast renewable energy potential that could provide a significant share of Europe’s power supply by 2030 and beyond. Furthermore, such a regional energy system could also contribute to the further integration and flexibility of the electricity market in northwest Europe, which is an important step towards a single European electricity market and improved energy security within the EU. To ensure that environmental concerns and impacts are appropriately considered in the development of such an offshore energy system, the European Commission has appointed a multi-disciplinary team to prepare an environmental study.