UK offshore wind industry reaches 1GW landmark

• 14 years ago (2010-04-26)
• David Flin

Europe 1088 Renewables 776

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The landmark of the first GW of installed offshore UK wind energy capacity has been reached as two wind farms off the coast of Britain began generating electricity: Robin Rigg, operated by EON; and Gunfleet Sands, operated by Dong Energy. One GW, comprising 11 wind farms with a total of 336 installed wind turbines, is now in operation.

Currently, there are over 40GW of offshore wind farms at various stages of development, with over 4GW in construction or with planning consent. The sector is set to provide 150+ TWh of electricity a year, compared to the UK’s total electricity consumption in 2009 of 374 TWh. The Digest of United Kingdom of Energy Statistics for 2009 noted that load factors for offshore wind are now on a par with UK hydro at 35 per cent, and only 5 per cent less than average load factors for conventional thermal generation.

Maria McCaffery, Chief Executive of RenewableUK, said: “The UK offshore wind industry has come of age. In the last ten years, we have built a brand new world-leading industry sector that will create long-term value for this country. In the first quarter of 2010 alone, half a billion pounds of private investment has been invested directly into offshore wind in the UK. The opportunity now for this country is to build on this position of global leadership to develop the industrial and service supply chain to provide the equipment and skills that will embed Britain’s competitive advantage in marine renewables.”