The Anonymous Widower

EU Deal Means Return Of Pet Passports For Dogs, Cats And Ferrets

The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times!

This is the sub-heading.

New rules will be ratified at a summit on November 20 at which Britain must juggle trade-offs to gain access to Europe’s car and energy markets

I don’t care about dogs, cats and ferrets, provided everybody treats them right and allows me to say hello occasionally, but I do care about energy.

In my opinion the most important paragraph in the article is this one, which introduces, what it will mean for energy in the EU and the UK.

In a separate negotiation, the EU is calling on the UK to pay into European development funds if British energy companies are to gain the freedom to trade in the EU’s single market for electricity. Brussels would stipulate that British taxpayers’ money be funnelled into projects to build roads, airports and green energy facilities in the bloc’s poorer member states.

It might mean, that we have to pay some money in, but we are sitting on one of the largest green energy resources in Europe.

This map shows the The Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) around the UK.

Note.

  1. Undoubtedly, the rules by which EEZs were drawn, favoured the UK, and countries like Belgium and Germany didn’t do as well.
  2. The area of the UK’s European EEZ is twenty-three times that of Germany’s whole EEZ, which also includes an area of the Baltic Sea..
  3. Belgium doesn’t do well compared to The Netherlands.
  4. There is a substantial area between the UK and Ireland, which can deliver energy to where it is worth more.
  5. Great Britain and Ireland are surrounded by a large area, that must be worth developing.
  6. There is a convenient corridor, that runs North-West from the German EEZ to the UK EEZ, which could be used to deliver energy to Germany.

Didn’t the UK (and the Irish) do well!

Earlier in my opinion, I considered this paragraph to be  the most important paragraph in the article.

In a separate negotiation, the EU is calling on the UK to pay into European development funds if British energy companies are to gain the freedom to trade in the EU’s single market for electricity. Brussels would stipulate that British taxpayers’ money be funnelled into projects to build roads, airports and green energy facilities in the bloc’s poorer member states.

I believe that if we joined the EU’s single market for electricity, this will open up joint UK/EU energy projects.

Energy Supply To The Island Of Ireland

This may be a bit parochial, but it’s important if you live in the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland.

I asked Google AI, the title of this section and received this reply.

The island of Ireland relies heavily on a mix of natural gas, wind power, and energy imports, operating through an all-island wholesale electricity market.

Key Energy Supply Facts

Fossil Fuel Reliance: Ireland remains a net energy importer, with fossil fuels accounting for roughly 79% to 83% of primary energy supply.

Electricity Generation Mix: In recent data, gross electricity supply is led by natural gas (~40%), wind energy (~32%), and net imports (~16%). Coal-fired generation at Moneypoint ended in 2025, and peat-fired generation has phased out or transitioned to biomass.

Single Electricity Market (SEM): The wholesale electricity market operates across the entire island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) as a single pool, managed via the Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO).

Grid Operators: Transmission systems are operated by EirGrid in the Republic and ESB Networks handling distribution. Interconnections link the island to Great Britain and France.

Demand Drivers: Total electricity demand sits around 34.1 TWh, with commercial services and data centers making up a significant and growing portion of consumption.

Note.

  1. Energy on the island of Ireland is one of the oldest cross-border energy projects in Europe.
  2. Sixteen perecent of electricity is imported.
  3. It appears that electricity in all of Ireland is highly integrated and operates as a single market.
  4. In What Is The Potential Capacity Of Wind Farms In The Atlantic To The West Of Ireland?, I showed that as much as 600 GW of green electricity could be developed to the West of the island of Ireland.

The island of Ireland has outstanding potential for the development of offshore wind.

How Much Electricity Is Transferred Between The UK And The Irish Republic?

I asked Google AI, the title of this section and received this reply.

The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland import approximately 16% of their combined electricity needs from Great Britain.

Interconnectors Between Britain and Ireland

The power exchange happens via subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) and AC interconnections:

East-West Interconnector (EWIC): Connects Portan (County Meath, Ireland) and Shotton (North Wales) with a capacity of 500 MW.

Greenlink Interconnector: Connects Great Island (County Wexford, Ireland) and Pembroke (Wales) with a capacity of 500 MW (operational since early 2025).

Moyle Interconnector: Connects Scotland and Northern Ireland with a capacity of 500 MW (Northern Ireland shares an all-island Single Electricity Market with the Republic of Ireland).

North-South Interconnector: Links the grids of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (capacity around 540 MW).

It would appear that the UK grid and the two grids on the island of Ireland are well-connected.

Would There Be Advantages If Both The UK And The Irish Republic Were In The Same EU Single Market For Electricity?

I asked Google AI, the title of this section and received this reply.

Re-aligning or fully coupling the UK and the Irish Republic within the EU single market for electricity (or the EU’s Internal Energy Market) offers several well-documented economic and operational advantages:

Lower Wholesale Electricity Prices: Post-Brexit decoupling between Great Britain and the island of Ireland’s Single Electricity Market (SEM) caused wholesale electricity prices in Northern Ireland to be up to 20% higher. Recoupling helps lower consumer bills by restoring efficient cross-border trade.

More Efficient Use of Interconnectors: Market coupling links electricity markets across interconnected regions so that prices and power flows are set simultaneously via shared algorithms, allowing electricity to move seamlessly from lower-cost areas to higher-cost ones.

Enhanced Security of Supply: Larger integrated electricity networks make local grid problems easier to manage by enabling immediate energy imports from neighboring systems when a plant trips or demand spikes.

Reduced Reserve Requirements: Operating across a larger, unified grid lowers the total amount of spinning or standby generation reserves needed to maintain stable system performance, since a single plant outage has a smaller relative impact.

Better Integration of Renewable Energy: Greater interconnection prevents the wasteful curtailment of wind and solar farms during high-generation periods, letting regions export surplus green power and maximize environmental and economic returns.

Wind farms could also be built between the two islands with the ability to send electricity where it was needed most.

Would A Combined EU/UK Single Market For Electricity Encourage Cross-Border Energy Projects?

I asked Google AI, the title of this section and received this reply.

A combined EU/UK single market for electricity would significantly encourage cross-border energy projects by removing administrative bottlenecks, optimizing physical infrastructure, and reducing system costs.

Key Ways Integration Encourages Cross-Border Projects

Day-Ahead Market Coupling: Reconnecting Great Britain to the EU’s day-ahead market-coupling system restores automated pan-European optimization for electricity flows. According to the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), integrated trading lets countries seamlessly share generation, storage, and demand-side flexibility, which directly supports investments in new interconnectors.

North Sea Hybrid and Offshore Projects: The UK and EU share massive ambitions for North Sea offshore wind (targeting up to 300 GW by 2050). A unified market framework creates the regulatory alignment, carbon pricing clarity (such as linking the UK and EU Emissions Trading Systems), and long-term investor confidence needed to finance multi-country grid links and hybrid wind projects.

Reduction of System Inefficiencies: Current post-Brexit trading arrangements lead to sub-optimal use of interconnector capacity (roughly 12–14 GW). Reintegration is estimated to eliminate annual system inefficiencies worth £120 million to £370 million, making cross-border commercial cases much stronger for developers.

Context and Trade-Offs

Financial and Political Conditions: Discussions and draft proposals (including reports around potential UK contributions to EU development or regional funds in exchange for access) highlight that market re-entry involves political and financial trade-offs for both sides.

Broader Alignment: Analysts note that while full market coupling lowers wholesale power costs and improves grid balancing, its ultimate success depends on avoiding new non-tariff or carbon-border friction (like unaligned Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms) that could offset green export gains.

It would appear that on balance a combined EU/UK single market for electricity would encourage cross-border projects and would.be beneficial.

Could A Combined EU/UK Single Market For Hydrogen Work?

I asked Google AI, the title of this section and received this reply.

A combined EU/UK single market for hydrogen could work economically and technically, driven by shared resources in the North Sea and complementary supply-and-demand needs, but faces major political and doctrinal hurdles.

Economic and Technical Potential

Shared Infrastructure: Collaborating on North Sea renewable power generation, hydrogen pipelines, and carbon capture and storage (CCUS) can significantly cut project costs and improve financial backing.

Regulatory Alignment: Both the UK and the EU are implementing Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM) that cover hydrogen imports by 2027 to prevent carbon-leakage. Harmonizing standards avoids expensive compliance duplication.

Supply and Demand at Scale: The EU has set massive renewable hydrogen targets through REPowerEU, while the UK aims to scale its own domestic capacity (though facing domestic policy and delivery delays).

Political and Institutional Obstacles

The “Indivisibility” Doctrine: The European Commission has previously assessed that deep energy market linkages of this nature run counter to the EU’s core doctrine of the indivisibility of the single market.

Red Lines on Bureaucracy: UK policymakers remain cautious about accepting EU oversight or rejoining Brussels regulatory bodies, while EU officials resist allowing the UK to “pick and choose” cherry-picked single-market access outside of full membership.

Current Frameworks: Post-Brexit trade relies on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which lacks deep, permanent integration for emerging clean-energy sectors, though both sides have signaled intent to hold technical and regulatory exchanges on hydrogen and clean tech.

I feel that if the single market can be made to work for electricity, it can be made to work for hydrogen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 4, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Energy Storage, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Poland Receives Its First Electricity from Offshore Wind As Baltic Power Starts Delivering

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

Electricity generated by the Baltic Power offshore wind farm has entered Poland’s national power grid, marking the first time the electricity generated by offshore wind turbines is added to the country’s energy mix.

This first paragraph gives more details of the project.

54 of 76 turbines have already been installed at Poland’s first offshore wind farm, with the first now generating electricity. Construction is scheduled for completion this autumn, ORLEN and Northland Power, the owners of the project, said.

When complete, the Baltic Power wind farm will generate up to 1.2 GW.

How Much Offshore Wind Does Poland Have Planned?

I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.

 

Poland has massive offshore wind plans in the Baltic Sea.

The country targets 5.9 GW by 2030 and 18 GW by 2040. To meet these goals, the government is pursuing two primary development phases to transition the national grid away from coal.

A breakdown of Poland’s offshore wind rollout includes:

Phase I (Advanced Projects): Includes 5.9 GW of capacity.

Baltic Power: Poland’s first offshore wind farm (1.2 GW), developed by Orlen and Northland Power, officially connected to the national grid in July 2026.

Bałtyk 2 & 3: Equinor and Polenergia have finalized financing for an additional 1.4 GW, slated for commercial operation around 2028.

Phase II (Auction-Backed): Poland recently allocated over 3.4 GW in new capacity through competitive offshore wind auctions, pushing development well into the next decade.

Long-Term Outlook: Industry groups estimate the total technical potential in Poland’s portion of the Baltic Sea could reach up to 33 GW.

Will Poland Be Welcoming Any Invading Germany Wind Farms?

In New Study Shows How North Sea Offshore Wind Can Yield More While Costing Less, I talked about how Germany doesn’t have enough sea in which to place the wind farms it needs to generate the green electricity and hydrogen it needs.

This map from Wikipedia shows Exclusive Economic Zones in the North Sea, but it also shows who has control of the sea in the Baltic.

Note.

  1. Yellow is France.
  2. Mauve is Belgium, who drew the short straw.
  3. Light Blue is The Netherlands.
  4. Black is Germany, who despite their large land area, don’t have as much sea as the UK.
  5. Red is Denmark.
  6. Dark Blue is Norway.
  7. Green is The UK.
  8. Germany and Poland seen to share the Southern Baltic.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Germany and Poland co-operating to maximize the wind power capacity of the Southern Baltic.

 

A Visit To Poland’s Coal Capital

On one of my trips to Poland, I went to Katowice, which is in Poland’s coal-mining region. I wrote about it in An Excursion In Katowice.

Google AI produced this snapshot of Katowice.

Katowice is historically known as the “Polish Coal Capital” and served as the absolute backbone of the region’s heavy industry. First transforming into an industrial powerhouse in the mid-19th century due to rich local coal and metal reserves, the city’s economy and rapid growth were entirely reliant on coal mining and steel.

While coal and heavy industry historically anchored its identity, the city of Katowice has aggressively transformed into a modern cultural, technological, and business hub. The wider Silesia region remains heavily tied to coal mining, but the municipality itself has shifted its focus to avoid reliance on it.

My visit to Katowice was an excellent pit-stop on a train ride between Krakow and Prague, when I did my Home Run From Krakow.

If you like your food and like me, you’re coeliac, I would certainly recommend Poland for a few days away.

Strangely, the language is not a problem, as if you get three Poles together, one will speak English better than what you do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 10, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Food, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Offshore Wind Could Help Create ‘Electric Shipping Highway’ Across Europe, Study Says

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

Offshore wind farms, energy islands, ports and proposed “Offshore Power Zones” could together form the foundation of an integrated maritime energy system capable of supporting large-scale vessel electrification across Northern Europe, according to a study by Maersk’s Stillstrom, Baltic Energy Island and the Port of Roenne.

This is a map from the report.

Note.

  1. In Investment in Grain LNG, I talked about Centrica and Grain LNG Terminal, Centrica’s plans for the terminal, which include bunkering.
  2. London Gateway and Immingham are two substantial ports on the East side of England.

Are English ports, except for the notable exception of Felixstowe, not shown on the map, because of Brexit?

These two paragraphs add some detail.

According to the findings, it is estimated that around 37,000 cargo vessels pass Bornholm each year, consuming approximately 3 million tonnes of marine fuel and emitting around 10 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. Full electrification of this traffic is estimated to require about 17 TWh of electricity per year, potentially replacing roughly EUR 2 billion in fossil fuel imports with domestically generated renewable power.

The whitepaper also introduces the concept of Offshore Power Zones (OPZs), developed by Stillstrom, which involves vessels accessing offshore wind-generated electricity at sea for battery charging or hotel loads. The report sees these zones linked with electrified ports to form an “electric shipping highway” stretching from the English Channel through the North Sea into the Baltic Sea.

Note that Bornholm  is between Sweden and Germany.

 

 

June 16, 2026 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

North Sea, Baltic Sea Countries Enter Pacts To Protect Offshore Energy Infrastructure Amid Concerns Over Russian Sabotage

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

Eight Baltic Sea countries signed a joint declaration on collaborating closer to secure critical offshore energy infrastructure in the region on 10 April, only a day after six North Sea countries entered into a similar agreement. Both are a result of security concerns arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and reports of possible sabotage of offshore and subsea energy infrastructure in the North and Baltic Seas.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Concerns over Russia sabotaging offshore energy assets came into the spotlight after four gas leaks were found in September 2022 on the twin Nord Stream pipeline system in the Baltic Sea.

Following national investigations into the incident initiated by Germany, Sweden and Denmark, and studies by the Norwegian and Swedish seismic institutes, European authorities said that the incident could have been the result of “deliberate actions”.

Hopefully, mutual defence will see off, the Evil Vlad!

April 12, 2024 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Germany Has Potential For 82 GW Of Offshore Wind

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Renewables Now.

These are the two introductory paragraphs.

Germany has the potential to raise its offshore wind energy capacity to 81.6 GW which is above the federal government’s target of 70 GW by 2045, a study by research institute Fraunhofer IWES shows.

To exploit all the potential for wind energy in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, Germany needs to devise a strategy for more efficient use of the available space and use new offshore wind power technologies in additional areas in a way that will not raise concerns and affect nature conservation.

This map shows the German parts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Note.

  1. White lines show the borders with The Netherlands, Denmark and Poland.
  2. Heligoland in the South-East corner of the North Sea. Could this island be used as a giant offshore substation?
  3. There are plenty of ports to service offshore developments.
  4. It looks like compared to the UK, a fair proportion of German offshore wind farms will be closer to the land.

Currently, Germany has 7.8 GW of offshore wind in operation, with around seventy percent of the turbines in the North Sea.

According to the Wikipedia entry called Wind Power In The UK, in 2019, the UK had installed 8.4 GW of offshore wind turbines, and there could be a potential to have a total of 120 GW in British waters.

With the Belgians, Danes, Dutch, Irish, Norwegians, Poles and Swedes joining this party, I can see the world’s largest wind power station being developed in the North and Baltic Seas.

August 19, 2022 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment