Britain and Belgium have set a practical, time‑bound plan to tie their energy and maritime transitions closer together. In a joint statement published on 12 December 2025, the two governments committed to deepen North Sea cooperation on interconnectors, low‑carbon hydrogen, cross‑border CO2 storage and green shipping corridors, with regular security‑of‑supply checks and biennial energy dialogues.

On power links, the focus is twofold: keep the 1 GW Nemo Link running smoothly - and progress Nautilus, a new electricity link designed to connect offshore wind directly into both grids. Nemo Link has moved 29 TWh since 2019 at over 99.5% availability, while Nautilus is being developed as an Offshore Hybrid Asset with Belgian TSO Elia and National Grid Ventures.

Following Ofgem’s approval of an initial needs case in November 2024, Nautilus is working towards a 1.4 GW connection at the Isle of Grain in Kent, with environmental and technical surveys feeding design work. If built, developers say it could supply around 1.7 million UK homes while smoothing prices across both markets.

The agreement sits within a wider North Sea push. Nine countries pledged in the Ostend declaration to reach at least 120 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050, with hybrid, cross‑border projects central to that build‑out. Nautilus is exactly the sort of link that turns targets into firm capacity and stronger grid resilience.

Keeping those cables, turbines and data lines safe is now a shared priority. The statement references the NorthSeal platform - operational since January 2025 - to share threat intelligence and protect critical North Sea infrastructure, alongside UK‑led JEF activities. That cooperation lowers the risk of outages and protects coastal jobs.

On fuels, both countries will step up cooperation on low‑carbon hydrogen in the North Sea framework, where EU‑UK partners back a functioning market and shared standards. That creates scope for joint pilots on production, storage and offtake linked to offshore wind.

The most immediate legal milestone is a bilateral arrangement, targeted for the first half of 2026, to enable cross‑border transport of CO2 for permanent geological storage under the London Protocol. The Protocol’s 2009 amendment allowing CO2 exports has not yet entered into force, but countries can apply it provisionally via IMO procedures - allowing the UK and Belgium to proceed while wider ratification continues.

Shipping is the glue between all of this. As fellow IMO Council members, the UK and Belgium plan to establish green shipping corridors, aligning with the IMO’s 2023 GHG strategy and a wave of corridor initiatives that have multiplied in recent years. Corridors turn ambition into real sailings by locking in fuel choices, bunkering and buyer commitments along specific routes.

Ports and crews will need new skills. The IMO has agreed interim training guidance for seafarers on ships using alternative fuels, and specific safety guidelines for ammonia‑fuelled ships. For busy hubs like Antwerp‑Bruges and UK east coast ports, early training and safety investment keeps workers safe and projects on schedule.

Community stakes are high. The Port of Antwerp‑Bruges supports around 164,000 jobs and handles close to 280 million tonnes of cargo annually - proof that cleaner shipping and stronger interconnection will be felt far beyond ministerial press rooms if projects build local skills and supply chains.

For consumers, interconnection and flexibility matter. DESNZ expects 12–14 GW of interconnector capacity by 2030, with Ofgem’s pilot for Offshore Hybrid Assets including Nautilus. Independent analysis for the Carbon Trust shows a flexible system - mixing interconnectors, storage and demand response - can save up to £16.7bn a year by 2050 compared with a rigid approach.

What’s next in 2026: project design and consenting for Nautilus; a UK–Belgium CO2 arrangement filed under the London Protocol by mid‑year; and clear choices on fuels and operations for the first UK–Belgium green corridor. The IMO’s postponed vote on global fuel standards and pricing returns in 2026 - another decision that could make financing these plans easier.