UK offshore wind set to continue to lead the way in Europe
Elaine Brass
20th January 2010
The UK looks set to continue to lead the way in offshore wind in 2010, according to latest figures from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
The UK accounted for a total of 882.8 megawatts (MW) of installed offshore wind energy capacity last year, overtaking Denmark, according to figures just published in the EWEA’s ‘European Offshore Wind Industry – Key Trends And Statistics, 2009’.
And the UK looks set to continue to lead the way in offshore wind capacity in 2010. The EWEA says there are currently 17 offshore wind farms under construction in Europe, totalling more than 3,500 MW, with just under half of these being constructed in UK waters.
This trend is likely to continue into the decade, too, with the successful bidders for the UK's Crown Estate Round Three offshore wind zones being announced this month, which could lead to the delivery of 25 gigawatts (GW) of capacity – a quarter of the UK’s electricity needs – by 2020.
The EWEA report highlights that the UK and Denmark currently hold 44 per cent and 30 per cent respectively of Europe’s 2009 total 2,056 MW capacity.
In all, five European countries built new offshore wind projects last year. The UK built 284 MW of capacity. Denmark followed with 230 MW, then Sweden (30 MW), Germany (30 MW) and Norway (2.3 MW). The EWEA says this makes Europe the world’s leading continent in offshore wind with a total 828 wind turbines and a cumulative capacity of 2,056 MW spread across 38 offshore wind farms in nine European countries.
Eight new wind farms consisting of 199 offshore wind turbines, with a combined power generating capacity of 577 MW, were connected to the grid in Europe, in 2009, representing a growth rate of 54 per cent compared to the 373 MW installed during 2008.
For 2010, the EWEA expects that the completion of 10 additional European offshore wind farms, will add a further 1,000 MW and equivalent to market growth of 75 per cent compared to 2009.
“This is an incredibly good result considering the continued difficulties of obtaining project finance for large projects,” said Christian Kjaer, EWEA chief executive. “Independent project developers, in particular, are still struggling. For the offshore wind power industry to continue its development, it is vital that governments and the European Commission provide policy frameworks that stimulate investor interest and allow project developers to move their plans forward.”
In 2009, the European turnover of the offshore wind industry was approximately €1.5 billion (£1.3 billion). The EWEA expects this to double in 2010 to approximately €3 billion (£2.6 billion) and the wind organisation says with more than 100 GW of projects are at various stages of planning, they could provide enough power to meet 10 per cent of European electricity demand.
“The push given by the decision to inject €255 million (£222 million) under the European Union’s European Economic Recovery Plan into the offshore wind sector showed that decision-makers understand that offshore wind is key to Europe’s future energy supplies,” said Kjaer. “The European Investment Bank’s (EIB) increased involvement will also be instrumental for the future success of offshore wind’s contribution to European recovery, job creation and technology leadership.”