LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — Officials from nine southern European Union member states said Monday they are focusing on harnessing offshore wind and solar power to transform the Mediterranean region into a hub for renewable energy and avert the risks of climate change.
The energy ministers of Cyprus, Slovenia and Malta, the economy minister of Croatia and officials from Greece, Italy, France, Portugal and Spain said in a joint statement that they are working to set up joint cross-border renewable energy projects, without the bureaucracy that could potentially deter investors.
They called on the European Commission to launch a new study on the potential of renewable energy in the region, which will inform “informed decision-making and concrete action” to advance green energy projects. The statement was made during the MED9 Energy Ministerial Meeting in Larnaca.
George Papanastasiou, Energy Minister of host country Cyprus, told reporters that the so-called MED9 countries are looking for ways to generate green energy via offshore platforms, as there is increasingly less land available in Mediterranean countries to build such projects.
Papanastasiou said that some countries have already undertaken offshore wind energy pilot projects in shallow waters, the results of which will be studied by other MED9 countries to adapt their own facilities. There are also plans for wave-generated energy and floating photovoltaic units, as there is more capacity for such technologies in southern Europe due to the abundant sunlight.
Joan Groizard, director general of the Spanish Energy Agency, said that Mediterranean countries “can and should be at the forefront of the energy transition” because they are the most vulnerable to climate change.
A key challenge in tapping into offshore wind and solar power plants is connecting them to existing onshore electricity grids and interconnections so that the energy can be transmitted to other countries.
Greek Ambassador to Cyprus Ioannis Papameletiou said the Aegean has one of the largest wind energy capacities in the EU and noted that there is “great scope for cooperation and exchange of best practices.”
He said Greece has set a target of adding 2 gigawatts of wind power to its energy mix by 2030, expanding that to 10 GW by 2040 and 17 GW by 2050.
Italian Ambassador to Cyprus Federica Ferrari Bravo said: “Affordable green energy is also a powerful tool for peace.”