An offshore transmission grid for wind power integration: The European techno-economic study OffshoreGrid

An offshore power transmission grid in Northern Europe has become a serious and important topic among the power industry, the power transmission sector, national governments and the European Commission. The OffshoreGrid project will provide policy recommendations for the political process towards such a grid in pursuing the efficient integration of renewables, the integration of market regions, security of supply and the competitiveness of the European economy. OffshoreGrid will develop a scientific view on an offshore grid along with a suited regulatory framework considering technical, economic and policy aspects. The project is targeted towards European policy makers, industry, transmission system operators and regulators. In first instance, the geographical scope is Northern Europe. The paper covers the general approach and objectives of the project. Furthermore, the first results of the preparatory work packages are presented and discussed.