Keynotes

Keynote Speakers

Although most information on this website is in English, the North Sea Days is a bilingual conference: the programme will be partly in Dutch and partly in English.

[NL] Arita Baaijens – Our Relationship with the North Sea

What is it like to be the North Sea? Independent, untethered, a liquid universe for fish, lobsters, oysters, and other life forms. Unconcerned with legal systems, protocols, national borders, and the squabbles of humans who believe the sea can be owned. The moon-struck sea makes all life on Earth possible. Imagine: you are the sea, welcoming each spring the exuberant release of millions of eggs, trillions of wriggling diatoms, fish larvae, and lobsters in spectacular outfits with rotating eyes on stalks. It’s almost unimaginable — this explosion of pulsating life in the wet cosmos we simply call the North Sea. For a year, I, the speaker, worked on a plan to bring the North Sea into boardrooms where people talk about the sea, but never with it. In this keynote, I’ll share that journey with you. You’ll discover a world where the sea speaks, shrimp solve philosophical problems, and Dutch policymakers consult the North Sea on matters that concern it.

[EN] Bart Ummels - Offshore wind: Setting the stage for further growth

The energy transition is happening at an increasing speed. Last year, more than 50% of Dutch electricity consumption came from renewables, most importantly wind power. Offshore wind power is expected to be one of the key sources of clean, affordable energy in the Netherlands. Wind turbines and wind projects have grown is size and in the past decade, the offshore wind industry became mature and the Netherlands a world leader in offshore wind. But recently, new challenges have arisen. Tender rounds for offshore wind projects in the UK, Denmark and Germany were unsuccessful in attracting bids, raising concerns about the medium and long-term offshore wind targets. It seems that the business case for offshore wind no longer adds up. What has changed? How do offshore wind projects really work? And what do we need to do to make offshore wind successful? In his presentation, Bart Ummels will present an overview of offshore wind and transmission technology, the main challenges for offshore wind project development and what is needed (and being worked on) to make offshore wind happen once again.

[EN] Christian Zuidema - Urgency and uncertainty, strategic planning for the North Sea

North Sea countries, including the Netherlands, have serious ambitions for upscaling offshore wind energy. Essentially, the aim is to increase this capacity on the North Sea by about ten-fold, with the Netherlands aims for an almost twenty-fold increase. This will not be easy. The immense spatial footprint of such ambitions is easily underestimated, especially if we also consider the desire for a food en nature transition. Understanding the ecological implications and uncertainties involved with them imply that ecological space is not easy to find either. Finally, it is doubtfull if there is currently sufficient institutional capacity and strategic policy development to cope with the challenges ahead. Instead we risk focussing so much on the rush and urgencies of today that we fail to prepare for what tomorrow needs. Similarly, we may risk are delaying choices today in the hope we know more tomorrow. In my presentation I hope to suggest that we may need to invest more in considering this long term and thus, consider which risks we are and are not willing to take.

[NL] Joris Koornneef – Four Interconnected Transitions

At the Noordzeedagen, I will give a lecture on four major transitions shaping the future of the North Sea: nature, energy, food, and security. These transitions cannot be viewed in isolation — they are deeply interconnected and require an integrated approach. The North Sea is a dynamic area where ecology, economy, and geopolitics converge, and where decisions in one domain have direct consequences for the others. The energy transition involves the rise of offshore wind farms (and even solar), possibly combined with hydrogen production, the phase-out of natural gas, and CO₂ storage. This transition changes spatial use and introduces new demands for ecological protection. At the same time, the food transition — from fisheries to seaweed farming — is under pressure from changing ecosystems and societal expectations. How can we make food production at sea more sustainable without exceeding the system’s carrying capacity? The nature transition also demands attention: restoring biodiversity, protecting vulnerable species, and strengthening natural processes are crucial. All of this takes place in a context where security — both physical and geopolitical — is becoming increasingly important. Think of maritime safety, cyber threats to energy infrastructure, and the role of the North Sea in international tensions. To make this complex interplay more tangible, I will use maps in my lecture that visualize the spatial dimensions of these transitions. These maps help illustrate overlaps and conflicts between functions and serve as a powerful tool to support better decision-making with policymakers, researchers, and users of the North Sea. The Noordzeedagen offer an excellent opportunity to engage in this dialogue and chart a shared course forward.