Nine European countries were holding a summit Monday aimed at scaling up wind power generation in the North Sea, spurred by the fallout of the Ukraine war and the push for renewables. Hosted by Belgium in the coastal town of Ostend, the meeting will gather the leaders of EU members France, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also attending. Norway and Britain will participate, too, though French officials said the UK’s energy minister would lead the delegation and not Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who could not make it. “We need offshore wind turbines — and we need a lot of them,” the leaders of the countries said in a joint op-ed published in Politico”We need them to reach our climate goals, and to rid ourselves of Russian gas, ensuring a more secure and independent Europe.”