Baltic nations agree to hike offshore wind energy sevenfold by 2030
(L-R) Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin speak at the Baltic Sea Energy Security Summit in Marienborg, Denmark, Aug. 30, 2022. (EPA Photo)


The Baltic Sea nations have agreed to increase offshore wind energy sevenfold by 2030, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday, as countries are exploring means to decrease energy dependency on Russia.

The pledges come after Russia has either reduced or halted gas supplies to some countries since its invasion of Ukraine.

"We share a great potential for offshore wind," Frederiksen said at an energy summit in Copenhagen. "As long as we depend on fossil fuels, we are vulnerable."

The Baltic Sea currently has 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity installed, with almost all of it in Danish and German waters.

The agreement was made at a summit attended by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and ministers and deputies from Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden, which all border the Baltic Sea.