Transitioning to an Integrated Renewable Energy System in the Dutch North Sea

The North Sea has long been the energetic backbone of the surrounding countries and its hydrocarbon resources have enabled economies to grow. however, faced with an unsustainable level of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as with the deple-tion of hydrocarbon resources, the North Sea is described as a ‘sea in decline’. The coming decades will see two parallel developments in the North Sea: major invest-ments will be needed to decommission disused hydrocarbon assets while at the same time renewable energy projects will be developed. The question that arises is what legal barriers such a transition entails and how the integration of a renewable energy system in the North Sea should be regulated.