In focus: Eye on sustainability at COP27 amidst geopolitical tensions

During the opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27, currently underway in Egypt, a call to ensure the full implementation of the Paris Agreement echoed once again, as severe geopolitical conflicts and tensions seem to demand actions that are not fully in line with the Paris rulebook.

Takin place right now in Egypt, COP27 opened with the key aim of ensuring full implementation of the Paris Agreement . After a year that has seen devastating floods and unprecedented heat waves, severe droughts and formidable storms, the signs of the unfolding climate emergency are there. At the same time, major geopolitical conflicts and tensions apparently demand actions that are not quite in line with the agreements in the Paris rulebook.

In the midst of this sobering reality, steps were made towards a sustainable future. The governments of Panama, Uruguay, and Norway used the COP27 as a stage sign up to the Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative , a worldwide cross-sector initiative aimed at catalyzing the supply of green fuels , and supporting the global energy transition .

The COP27 served as good moment for announcements outside of Egypt too. Italian transmission system operator (TSO) Terna and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed a €500 million finance contract for the Tyrrhenian Link which will connect Sicily with Sardinia and the Italian peninsula via a 970-kilometer, 1,000 MW DC double submarine cable.

This piece of infrastructure is of huge strategic importance to ensuring Italian energy security, as well as to cutting CO2 emissions and fostering the development of renewable energies.

“As world leaders gather for COP27 in Egypt, the EIB, as the EU climate bank, is pleased to have signed the first €500 million tranche supporting the construction of the Tyrrhenian link,” said EIB vice president Gelsomina Vigliotti .

From the Netherlands, the energy transition-related news came with RWE winning the permit to build a large-scale offshore wind farm at the Hollandse Kust West (HKW) VII site in the Dutch North Sea.

The Germany-based developer placed a bid through its project company Oranje Wind Power II and proposed an innovative 760 MW offshore wind farm which is planned to provide surplus electricity for green hydrogen production on land and to incorporate floating solar panels to allow a more efficient use of ocean space. RWE also plans to combine other flexible demand solutions within the project, such as e-boilers and battery storage .

“This new wind farm is another major step in making the Netherlands more sustainable. It will produce enough electricity to meet the needs of approximately one million households per year,” said Minister for Climate and Energy for the Netherlands, Rob Jetten .

The fact that the incorporation of floating solar panels to allow a more efficient use of ocean space in Hollandse Kust West (HKW) VII site is the way to go, was backed up by the report by EU-SCORES project , that was presented earlier this week.

Co-location of offshore wind, wave and offshore solar energy in multi-source energy parks could lead to unprecedented reduction of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and improve the efficient use of marine space, according to the new report.

Exhibitions are good opportunities for presenting new projects. as well. Namely, during the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, ConocoPhillips China (COPC) and CNOOC Limited have officially announced the beginning of the Penglai Offshore Windfarm Pilot Project , which will harness wind energy to power the Penglai oilfield located offshore China.

“This pilot project represents a first-of-its-kind integration of offshore wind power being harnessed solely for offshore oil and gas facilities in China,” said Bill Arnold , President of COPC. “We believe it will become a benchmark for future low carbon emission offshore oilfield developments.”

In other news from Asia, South Korean shipbuilding major Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has developed a liquid hydrogen fuel cell system for ship propulsion and received approval in principle (AiP) from the classification society DNV .

The system uses the electric power generated by liquid hydrogen and polymer electrolyte fuel cells to propel a vessel. SHI developed the system through joint research with domestic hydrogen-related companies.

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