*

European countries pledge 100 GW offshore wind power at

Hamburg

summit

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Commitment part of 300 GW goal by 2050 after

Russia-Ukraine

conflict

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WindEurope pledges cost cuts, creation of 91,000 jobs, 1

trillion euros of economic activity

(Adds context on companies in paragraph 11-12)

By Andreas Rinke, Holger Hansen and William James

HAMBURG/BERLIN/LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Britain,

Germany, Denmark and other European countries signed a clean

energy pact at a summit in Hamburg on Monday, pledging to

deliver 100 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power capacity

through large-scale joint projects.

The agreement, which contrasts sharply with U.S. ‌President

Donald Trump's opposition to green energy, signals that Western

and Northern European governments remain committed to wind power

as a way to boost the region's energy security.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos last ​week,

Trump amplified his criticism of European countries' shift to

low-carbon energy, saying countries that rely on wind turbines

lose money.

"We are standing up for ‍our national interest by driving for

clean energy, which can get the UK off the fossil fuel

rollercoaster and ⁠give us energy sovereignty and abundance,"

Britain's ⁠Energy Minister Ed Miliband said in a statement.

Ending dependence on Russian energy, in particular, has been

among Europe's top goals.

European Union member states on Monday gave final approval

to imposing a ban ‌on Russian gas imports by late 2027, making

the break from their former top ​supplier legally binding, nearly

four years after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A new imbalance, however, is clouding the push for energy

sovereignty. The EU sourced 27% of total gas and LNG imports

from the United States in 2025. New LNG contracts ⁠mean this

figure could rise to 40% by 2030, according to the Institute ‍for

Energy Economics and ​Financial Analysis.

The commitment to boost cross-border collaboration is part

of a goal agreed by North Sea countries in 2023 to have 300 GW

of offshore wind capacity by 2050.

CUTTING COSTS, CREATING JOBS

Industry lobby group WindEurope said that under the

agreement its member companies pledged ‍to cut costs, to create

91,000 jobs, and to generate 1 trillion euros ($1.2 trillion) of

economic activity.

Adding 100 GW at sea would transform Europe's power market

because the region currently has 258 GW installed wind capacity,

both on- and offshore, providing 19% of the electricity consumed

in Europe, according to WindEurope data.

This could benefit makers of grid technology such as Siemens

Energy and GE Vernova ( GEV ), project developers

including RWE and Orsted as well as wind

turbine manufacturers such as Vestas.

Grid operators National Grid and TenneT Germany

said

they will partner to develop a power link connecting

British and German offshore wind farms in the North Sea ​to

supply both countries.

Monday's ‍deal, a draft of which was reported by Reuters last

week, was signed at the North Sea Summit by Britain, Belgium,

Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the

Netherlands and Norway.

"By planning expansion, grids and industry together and

implementing them across borders, we are creating ​clean and

affordable energy, strengthening our industrial base and

increasing Europe's strategic sovereignty," said German Economy

Minister Katherina Reiche.

Separately, Reiche on Monday unveiled plans to revive

Germany's languishing offshore wind tenders with a package of

measures including granting investors more reliable power

revenues.

By introducing "Contracts for Difference", investors stand

to receive compensation when market prices for electricity fall

under an agreed reference price or they will pay back some of

their revenues when prices exceed that benchmark.

Germany needs to step up its efforts after two recent

tenders to develop wind projects off its coast did not attract

any bids, whereas Britain and Ireland ran successful projects,

Reiche said.

Britain said it would also sign other agreements with

smaller groups of attending ​nations to promote more efficient

development of cross-border projects, and infrastructure to

create wind farms at sea that are directly connected to more

than one country.

Earlier in January, Britain secured a record amount of

offshore wind capacity in its latest power auction, when

projects with a total capacity of 8.4 GW were awarded contracts.

($1 = 0.8409 euros)