{"id":870042,"date":"2026-04-03T20:11:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T20:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/870042\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T20:11:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T20:11:17","slug":"how-the-u-s-and-europe-are-betting-differently-on-energy-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/870042\/","title":{"rendered":"How the U.S. and Europe Are Betting Differently on Energy Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

Europe is making a push for a robust homegrown offshore wind sector at the same time that the United States is gutting its own. The world’s largest wind farm<\/a>, currently under construction in the North Sea, made major progress on March 26 when it successfully connected its first export cable from the seabed to the coast of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, France plans to auction off 10 offshore and floating wind projects<\/a> with a combined capacity of 12 gigawatts by 2027 as part of a \u2018Made in Europe\u2019 initiative.<\/p>\n

In the UK, the connection of the undersea cable for the massive Hornsea 3 offshore wind project marks a significant milestone for the offshore wind capacity and for European collaboration on making a more independent and autonomous energy industry. The project, which will benefit consumers in the United Kingdom, is being headed by \u00d8rsted, a company from Denmark, while the cable installation is being carried out by Belgium\u2019s Jan De Nul Group. When finished in 2027, the project will have a power generation capacity of 2.9 gigawatts, enough to power 3.3 million homes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHornsea 3 will be a cornerstone in achieving the UK government\u2019s climate and clean energy targets while increasing energy independence and creating local jobs,\u201d Duncan Clark, Head of \u00d8rsted UK & Ireland, was quoted by Interesting Engineering. \u201cIt will make a significant contribution towards the UK Government\u2019s ambitious target of 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and net-zero by 2050.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It will also help to increase the United Kingdom and Europe\u2019s energy independence, a pressing issue in today\u2019s geopolitical climate. In France, the upcoming tenders for offshore wind energy will prioritize local supply chains. \u201cWe want these bids to be done as much as possible with our technologies, our factories, our employees,\u201d said French Finance Minister Roland Lescure. \u201cThis is a long-term strategy to secure our industrial supply chains,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong>Chinese Publication Claims U.S. Has Two Months of Rare Earths Left<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The push for homegrown offshore wind comes as a part of the bloc\u2019s larger energy security strategy, which has been kicked into overdrive by the current global energy crisis reverberating out of the Strait of Hormuz. The current crisis marks the third time in four years<\/a> that European energy markets have been kneecapped by their dependence on global supply chains to keep the lights on. European leaders are determined to make sure that it doesn\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the United States is taking a completely different approach to energy security. Instead of diversifying domestic energy production in the interest of building up resilience to global market shocks, the United States is piling all of its eggs back into the petro-basket. In fact, the Trump administration is paying a French company TotalEnergies $1 billion to abandon offshore wind projects<\/a> that could have generated over 4 GW of clean power. Instead, that money will be channeled into oil and gas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the Trump administration came to power and began setting U.S. energy policy, we said that we\u2019ll have to reconsider, clearly, these offshore wind project developments,\u201d says Patrick Pouyan\u00e9, the CEO of TotalEnergies. However, this doesn\u2019t mean that they will be backing off of offshore wind development entirely. \u201cTo be clear, we don\u2019t renounce onshore wind,\u201d Pouyan\u00e9 went on to say. \u201cWe continue to invest in onshore solar, onshore wind, batteries [in other countries].\u201d<\/p>\n

Few examples more accurately and powerfully capture the growing divide in energy policy<\/a> between the United States and Europe. While Europe tries to shore up energy autonomy and independence through renewables, the United States is targeting energy dominance through fossil fuels. Some experts say that this play will end up costing United States consumers more<\/a> per megawatt hour of energy \u2013 and end up costing the world in terms of climate-related externalities.<\/p>\n

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com<\/a><\/p>\n

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

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