Many thanks to Martin Skiba, Jörg Singer and Henryk Ibe-Meinhardt for the perfectly organized conference in and around the Nordseehalle on Helgoland, including a trip on the MS Helgoland.
Arrived from the mainland
With over 130 participants and more than 20 high-caliber speakers from business and politics, the WFO Helgoland Conference Days from
August 29 to August 30, 2024 was, as always, a very valuable meeting for the German offshore wind market.
This time with a look at Belgium.
The 13th Offshore Wind Business Forum on Heligoland was opened by Jörg Singer and Joschka Knuth, State Secretary for the Energy Transition in Schleswig-Holstein, with a welcoming address in front of the North Sea Hall in glorious weather.
Under the motto “New islands for Northern Europe”, Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten opened the 13th Offshore Wind Economic Forum on Heligoland. The Belgian “Princess Elisabeth Island” will be the first energy island in the world and is due to be completed by 2026. It is to receive up to 3.5 GW from the nearby offshore wind area, the Princess Elisabeth Zone. This new OWF will be in operation by the end of 2028. Dania Röpke, Head of the Electricity Generation Division at the BMWK, and the President of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, Prof. Helge Heegewaldt, also gave opening speeches.
Prof. Dr. Lion Hirth, Professor of Energy Policy at the Hertie School, Berlin, presented the first lecture “Electricity market design: status quo of the discussion and outlook”.
Jürgen Trittin, former Federal Minister for the Environment, signed his book, a political autobiography entitled “ALLES MUSS ANDERS BLEIBEN”, for the participants.
Need for solutions to key challenges in the expansion of offshore wind energy
The panel discussion after the coffee break “Need for change in the regulatory framework for the expansion of offshore wind energy”, moderated by Martin Skiba, made it clear that there is still a lack of solutions with regard to sufficient port capacities and the need for a well-positioned supply industry, which should be taken into account in the law. There is a lack of answers to questions regarding quality criteria in the tendering process and financing.
Offshore wind power plants live and an exciting evening reception
The evening reception on the MS Helgoland was a real experience. The weather, light and setting were ideal for friends of wind energy at sea. On board, Prof. Dr. Martin Skiba and Jürgen Trittin spoke in interview style on the topic of “Energy policy in changing times”. The perspectives of the former Federal Minister for the Environment on the energy transition and the phase-out of nuclear energy by the former Federal Minister for the Environment were exciting and an enrichment for this year’s conference.
Arriving at the offshore wind farms off Heligoland, the offshore wind turbines not only presented themselves in a breathtaking light, but also their availability. Following the dinner, Heli-Service presented a live hoisting and Titan Wind Energy supported the networking with the appropriate drinks. All in all, a fantastic evening.
Energy supply of the future and operational excellence
On the second day, the CEO of Otary started with a keynote speech, followed by Martin Neubert from CIP. The panel round, consisting of representatives from Gascade, TenneT, CIP and Otary, moderated by Jörg Singer, focused on the overarching topic of networking the seas and energy islands. The main topics were the cross-border supply of electricity and hydrogen and the special role that energy islands can play in this.
This was followed by “Operational Excellence” with presentations from EnBW, OFFCON GmbH/Wallaby Boats GmbH, Venterra Group and TÜV Nord. The topic was then continued by Andrew Yardley from ORE Catapult with the award ceremony “Best Offshore Wind Power Plant in Operation 2023”. The winner was EnBW’s Albatros offshore wind power plant. Jürgen Trittin presented the award to EnBW.
After a final lunch together, “Open Harbour” tours were offered to the Hermann Marwede rescue cruiser and the RWE monitoring room.
For the first time since attending the conference in 2013, I allowed myself an extra day for a Heligoland tourist programme. The WFO Helgoland conference is always inspiring. For my next participation, I only wish for two things: more topics from the offshore wind supply industry and a higher proportion of women among the participants. All in all, I was, as always, thrilled and thank the organizers once again for a first-class offshore wind conference!
Picture with Jürgen Trittin: Photocredit Kevin Winiker Photostudio Ottensen
