Nine countries including the UK signed up today to develop an integrated offshore grid in the North and Irish Seas.

Other nations signing onto the plan include Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland.

The idea of a grid spanning European waters is to make supplies of electricity more secure for the participating countries by making it easier to optimise offshore wind electricity production. The grid is also aimed at helping the EU as a whole to meet its renewable energy target for 2020.

“Talks begin today  in Copenhagen on how we can cut carbon emissions worldwide,” said Lord Hunt, Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). “A large part of that will be continuing the domestic decarbonisation of our energy supplies by moving to low-carbon sources including wind.

“We’re already the world leader in offshore wind here in the UK and today’s announcements bring new funding and expert direction to grow this vital new industry. They also mean we can work with other countries in the EU to increase our renewable energy supplies.”

Lord Hunt also announced the next round of Low Carbon Energy demonstration capital grants for Vestas, Clipper and Mitsubishi, and also the appointment of Bernard Bulkin as the expert chair of DECC’s Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED).

Vestas will receive £1.75 million from the hovernment and a further £1.75 million from the South East England Development Agency, in addition to £6 million already awarded. Vestas announced today that with the award of its grant, it will be going ahead with its research-and-development facility on the Isle of Wight. Vestas currently employs 160 on the Isle of Wight. By the time it opens the technology centre in 2011, the company expects this to grow to over 200 and then to nearly 400 over the following years.

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