New group launched to lobby on European supergrid A new lobby group has been established to influence the progress of the pan-European supergrid that will make export and import of renewable energy between countries easier to manage.

Friends of the Supergrid (FOSG) was officially launched yesterday (March 8th). It combines the shared knowledge of several key companies working in engineering and development, including DEME Blue Energy, Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens.

According to the group, membership will be restricted to 20 companies that will collectively build the infrastructure of the grid.

Dr Eddie O'Connor, Mainstream Renewable Power's chief executive, said at the launch: "The UK government has recently shown its commitment to large-scale offshore wind by announcing the development of up to 50GW by 2020.

"The Friends of the Supergrid is uniquely placed to influence policy-makers one word towards creating the supergrid and ultimately changing how we generate, transmit and consume electricity for generations to come."

In December last year, nine countries including the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland signed up to developing the grid in the north and Irish seas.

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