Belgium and the UK used a 12 December joint statement to move from ambition to delivery on North Sea energy security and decarbonisation. The plan updates their 2022 energy cooperation, advances the proposed Nautilus power link, and opens work on hydrogen supply, green shipping corridors and a bilateral arrangement to allow cross‑border CO2 transport for permanent storage by the first half of 2026, within the EU‑UK cooperation framework.

Nemo Link shows the upside of deeper connection. Since 2019, the 1 GW cable has moved about 29 TWh between the two countries, cutting an estimated 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 and operating with around 99.5% availability over its first five years-evidence that interconnectors smooth prices and strengthen resilience as wind and demand swing.

Nautilus is the next step: a 1.4 GW Offshore Hybrid Asset linking Britain to Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth energy island while trading power between the two systems. Ofgem has granted an initial regulatory green light, and the developers-Elia and National Grid Ventures-say the UK connection is now proposed at the Isle of Grain, Kent, positioning Nautilus as a building block for a meshed offshore grid.

The move aligns with North Sea countries’ pledge to deliver at least 120 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050, and with the UK aim of up to 50 GW of offshore wind and at least 18 GW of interconnection this decade. The government’s Clean Power 2030 plan expects 12–14 GW of interconnectors to be operating by 2030-capacity that multi‑purpose links like Nautilus can use more efficiently.

On hydrogen, the two governments will explore joint deployment. The International Energy Agency’s 2025 review notes low‑emissions hydrogen remains under 1% of global demand and that announced production to 2030 has fallen, yet projects with final investment decisions still point to a fivefold rise in output by 2030 if policy secures bankable offtake-most credibly in refining, chemicals and shipping fuels.

A near‑term step is CO2 shipping. Under the London Protocol, countries can provisionally allow cross‑border export of CO2 for permanent offshore storage through bespoke agreements; London and Brussels aim to sign one by mid‑2026. That would complement Belgium’s Antwerp CO2 backbone now under construction and the EU‑backed Antwerp@C export hub-creating a practical route for captured CO2 from industry to reach UK North Sea storage sites.

Ports will also design green shipping corridors between UK and Belgian shores. Both countries are signatories to the Clydebank Declaration to support zero‑emission routes, and Antwerp‑Bruges has already joined a Sweden–Belgium corridor plan aiming for ammonia‑fuelled ro‑ro vessels by 2030. The IMO’s 2023 climate strategy sets a net‑zero course for shipping, with a 5–10% share of zero or near‑zero fuels by 2030-early corridors will help turn targets into tonnage.

Resilience is part of the package. The statement commits to protect North Sea cables, pipelines and emerging energy hubs against sabotage, cyber and other hybrid threats, building on cooperation platforms such as NorthSeal and the JEF+ mechanism. Securing infrastructure is essential if a meshed offshore grid and shared hydrogen and CO2 networks are to underpin affordable clean power.

What happens next is very practical. Developers should engage early with Ofgem’s OHA regime for Nautilus‑type links and sync timelines with UK grid connection reforms. Port authorities can expand shore power and plan safe ammonia or methanol bunkering to match corridor roll‑outs. Belgian emitters can prepare for cross‑border CO2 by connecting to Fluxys’ new c‑grid and structuring offtake with UK storage providers. Funding streams such as the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and the International Green Corridor Fund can underpin first movers.

Milestones to watch include the UK–Belgium CO2 arrangement targeted for the first half of 2026, Nautilus environmental and design work through 2025–2026, and North Sea cooperation tracking towards 2030 capacity goals. These dates will show whether a communiqué becomes metal in the water, cleaner ships at berth and industrial emissions falling.