with Gema San Bruno, CINEA - European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
Offshore wind has moved far beyond being a purely technical solution—it is now a strategic pillar of Europe’s climate, industrial and energy security agenda. In this talk, Gema San Bruno from the European Commission’s executive agency CINEA provides a comprehensive overview of how offshore wind fits into the broader European policy, funding and infrastructure landscape.
The presentation explains why offshore wind is central to the European Green Deal and how it supports climate neutrality, energy independence and industrial competitiveness. It explores the complex policy framework shaping offshore development, including climate and energy legislation, environmental directives and maritime spatial planning, highlighting how Europe balances rapid deployment with some of the world’s strongest environmental protections.
A key focus is the offshore grid: why it is essential, how it is regulated, and how Europe is moving towards cross‑border solutions such as energy islands, offshore hubs and integrated HVDC networks. The talk also outlines the scale of investment required—hundreds of billions of euros by 2050—and the role of EU funding instruments such as the Connecting Europe Facility, Horizon Europe and maritime funding programmes in making this transition possible.
This session is highly relevant for engineers, planners, policymakers and stakeholders working with offshore wind, energy systems and infrastructure. It offers a clear, strategic understanding of where Europe is heading—and what it will take to turn offshore wind capacity into reliable, delivered energy for consumers.
