Named for the Zeekracht (Sea-Power) Foundation which, together with the Nature and Environment Foundation, commissioned the study, the plan envisions a giant ring of wind turbine installations reaching across the North Sea from Norway to the Netherlands.

Last week two members of the Flemish government and a top Flemish architect gave their support to the idea, calling on European governments to put aside the “total lethargy” which characterises policy on renewable energy at the moment.

“If Europe is serious about sustainable energy, the OMA plan needs to be examined immediately so it can serve as a guideline for the future development of wind turbine parks in the North Sea,” wrote Kathleen Van Brempt in an opinion piece in De Morgen, co-authored by architect bOb Van Reeth. Van Brempt is Flanders’ minister for mobility and will also be heading the Socialist party list for the European Parliament in June.

The Koolhaas plan would take about 40 years to realise and cost an estimated  €200 billion, but it would create 700,000 jobs and make the continent energy self-sufficient by 2050. In comparison with the Persian Gulf region, which produces about 11,300 terawatt-hours (TWh), the North Sea ring would produce 13,400 TWh.

In addition, the installation would provide new openings for energy management, such as storing wind-produced energy in depleted undersea reservoirs and tapping new gas fields for hybrid energy production in “marine remediation areas”, recreational parks and sea routes.

The investment required would be about equal to the investment by oil companies in the Gulf, wrote Van Brempt and Van Reeth. However, once the ring was complete, there would be no cost to the transport of energy produced. “Plans like OMA’s deserve political support. They have mine already,” Van Brempt added.

Later in the week, Patricia Ceysens, Flemish minister for economy, science and foreign trade added her voice to the debate. “I can only underline the objective of my colleague,” she wrote in De Morgen. “Europe – and all other political levels – needs to demonstrate more daring and more ambition to bring about a breakthrough in alternative energy development.” She described the Zeekracht plan as “a Manhattan project for sustainable energy,” but warned against relying on “one silver bullet” solutions.

Dependence on the ring, Ceysens argued, could lead to “catastrophic consequences” if the installation should ever fail. In addition, it would create essentially “an electricity OPEC” with concentrations of power and economic interest as yet unforeseeable. “Instead of spending €200 billion on a ring of wind turbines,” Ceysens said, “government would be better to mobilise 200 million Europeans to create a green, innovative and competitive future.”