UK signs up to Europe’s first offshore wind grid
Elaine Brass
8th December 2009
The UK and eight other European countries have signed a political declaration to cooperate on the development of the first offshore wind grid in the North Sea and Irish Sea.
The aim of the ‘The North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative’ is to make European electricity supplies more secure and optimise offshore wind electricity production. Other signatories of the declaration include Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland.
As the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit gets underway, the signing of the declaration signals the countries’ recognition of the important role that offshore wind energy will play in meeting the EU’s 2020 targets. The signatory countries will prepare a strategic work plan by early 2010 to coordinate offshore infrastructure development and underwrite this in a Memorandum of Understanding, later in the year.
UK Energy Minister, Lord Hunt, said: “Talks begin today in Copenhagen on how we can cut carbon emissions worldwide. A large part of that will be continuing the domestic decarbonisation of our energy supplies by moving to low carbon sources including wind.”
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has also announced this week that it is to provide £5 million in new grants for offshore wind technology research.
Through the Low Carbon Energy Demonstration capital grants scheme, Vestas, which earlier this year laid off hundreds of UK manufacturing workers, will receive a further £1.75 million from the Government, in addition to £6 million already awarded. The new funding will be match funded by £1.75 million from the South East England Development Agency to further Vestas’ plans for an R&D facility on the Isle of Wight.
Other beneficiaries of Government funding include Clipper Windpower Marine Limited, which is to receive £2.5 million and Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe Ltd, which is being awarded £0. 81 million.