Nine countries in the North Sea region and the European Commission have signed an agreement to further strengthen their energy co-operation.

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden aim to better utilise the North Sea as an area for offshore wind farms.

One possibility is that future wind farms located close to each other in the neighbouring countries will be connected via one single cable from the sea to the land instead of a separate cable for each country.

The declaration and action plan will also facilitate the building of “missing” electricity links, allow more trading of energy and further integrate energy markets.

Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission said: “Today’s declaration is an important step towards an Energy Union that will deliver the climate commitments we made in Paris last year. Close regional co-operation and pooling together of energy sources will be essential to unlock the full potential of the North Sea resources at the lowest cost.”

The initiative remains open to all countries with an interest in the North Sea.

Earlier this week, 11 energy companies claimed the costs of offshore wind development can be reduced to below €80/MWh (£61.6/MWh) by 2025.