PhD student: Mr A.P.F. Devis

Promotors: Prof A. Oude Elferink, Prof Ch.W. Backes, Dr N. Giannopoulos

Duration: 1/9/2023 - 31/8/2027

Abstract:

This PhD will aim at understanding the empirical potential and limits of law in balancing the expansion of offshore renewable energies in a sustainable North Sea. It will consist of four articles. The coherence of these four articles will be guaranteed by a central research question: To what extent can law balance the expansion of offshore renewable energy within the ecological boundaries of the North Sea? Each article will contribute to answering key elements of this central question: mapping the status quo (1), identifying legal bottlenecks (2), searching for solutions in other legal orders (3), and assessing their institutional transferability (4). An overall introduction and general conclusion will complete the four articles to form the PhD manuscript and guarantee its coherence. This research also fits into the ECOAMARE project. It will enrich the transdisciplinary knowledge on how to support balancing offshore wind energy with other societal, environmental and economic interests within the boundaries of the North Sea ecosystem with a legal perspective.