Acceso usuarios
The development of a transnational offshore grid is under active consideration by the North Sea states.To facilitate a European approach and to trigger the necessary investments, a stable legal framework is needed. This article provides an analysis of the legal bases for offshore grid development under international and EU law. It demonstrates that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides reasonably clear direction for national infrastructure projects offshore, but is less clear regarding transnational projects. Based on this analysis, the article discusses whether the European Union has the legislative competence to establish the requisite regulatory support for the development of a North Sea grid. The article ends with the conclusion that neither international nor EU law provides an adequate legal framework for the development of transnational offshore infrastructure. Consequently, the North Sea states have to take the lead in establishing legal structures to facilitate the co-ordinated development of a European offshore grid.
