Energy ministers in European countries around the North Sea will pledge to quadruple offshore wind capacity by the end of the 2020s in a bid to turn the region into a renewable energy engine.

Seven EU countries including Germany, France and the Netherlands, along with non-EU countries such as Britain and Norway, will pledge at a summit on Monday to quickly build wind farms, develop energy islands, connect offshore green power stations and launch the first offshore Renewable hydrogen production projects.

A draft ministerial summit declaration seen by Reuters sees the plans as a way to end Europe's reliance on the fossil fuel of the production powerhouse after it cut gas supplies to Europe.

In response to reduced supplies to Europe following geopolitical conflicts, we will accelerate our efforts to reduce fossil fuel consumption and dependence on fossil fuel imports, the draft said. The declaration is still subject to change ahead of its announcement at a summit of European governments promoting green energy in the North Sea in Ostend, Belgium. Ministers from Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and Luxembourg will also sign the agreement.

The nine countries aim to have a total of 120 GW of offshore wind capacity in the North Sea by 2030 and more than double that to 300 GW by 2050. According to data from industry group WindEurope, these countries currently have about 30 gigawatts of installed offshore wind power. Targets by country: The UK plans to reach 50 GW of offshore wind power by 2030, Germany 26.4 GW, the Netherlands 21 GW and Belgium 6 GW.

The countries also intend to increase cooperation to protect their offshore energy assets from security threats and cyberattacks, and to ensure that plans to expand offshore energy production do not harm the marine environment or local communities.Editor/XingWentao