Europe Offshore Fleet has 105 Wind Farms

Laxman Pai
Wednesday, April 10, 2019

There are now 189 GW of wind energy in Europe, making up 14% of the EU’s power demand. 18.5 GW of this is in Europe’s offshore fleet, whose 105 wind farms and 4,500 turbines now provide 40,000 jobs.

According to WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson, this is set to grow.

Offshore wind has a proven record of rejuvenating former industrial towns in Europe. Dickson gave the UK example of the Green Port in Hull, where offshore wind has brought €400m in investment and directly created 1,000 new jobs while providing a wide range of social initiatives to the local community.

And the European offshore success story keeps improving: offshore turbines are getting larger, their capacity factor has increased, while both CAPEX and auction prices continue to fall, which means more countries such as Poland are now embracing offshore wind.

Dickson stressed the importance of cooperation to enable the rapid growth of offshore wind. He pointed to the example of the North Seas Energy Cooperation. This initiative aims to establish offshore grid linking the ten countries in the North Seas region (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom).

The North Seas Energy Cooperation is facilitating the cost-effective deployment of offshore wind while promoting interconnection between the countries in the region. This is exactly the sort of cooperation that will be required between States in the US to unlock the country’s vast offshore wind potential.

Dickson said that by its very nature, offshore wind tends to be fairly local:  blades and other materials tend to be made close to the market.  This usually brings a degree of specialisation: for example, Poland makes most of the foundations and cranes even though they don’t have any offshore wind farms yet, while Spain makes lots of towers.

Dickson pointed out about shared opportunities for both the US and Europe in floating wind: over 50% of both the EU’s and the US’s offshore wind potential lies in deeper waters. While the EU has always been the world’s floating wind energy hub, floating is now ready for commercial roll-out. Its potential in the US is significant.

Categories: Wind Power Offshore Energy Renewable Energy Offshore Wind

Related Stories

MODEC Ramps Up Hammerhead FPSO Work After ExxonMobil's Go-Ahead

Timor Gap Boosts Stake in Finder Energy’s Timor-Leste Oil Fields

Russia Targets 2028 for Sakhalin-3 Gas Project Start Up

Hibiscus Petroleum Starts Drilling at Teal West Field off UK

Petronas to Leverage AI to Expedite Oil and Gas Exploration Activities

Floating Offshore Wind Test Center Planned for Japan

Saipem Marks First Steel Cut for Tangguh UCC Project at Karimun Yard

Dutch Contractor Completes Malaysia’s Largest 'Rig-to-Reef' Decom Project

Baker Hughes, Petronas Team Up for Asia-Pacific Energy Resilience

CDWE Wraps Up Pin Pile Installation Job for Taiwanese Offshore Wind Farm

Current News

MODEC Ramps Up Hammerhead FPSO Work After ExxonMobil's Go-Ahead

Aesen, DOC JV Targets Subsea Cable Logistics

Timor Gap Boosts Stake in Finder Energy’s Timor-Leste Oil Fields

SBM Offshore Starts Construction of FSO for Trion Oil Field off Mexico

Russia Targets 2028 for Sakhalin-3 Gas Project Start Up

Seatrium Secures ABS Backing for Deepwater FPSO Design

MDL Secures Cable Laying Job in Asia Pacific

Hibiscus Petroleum Starts Drilling at Teal West Field off UK

Yinson Production Nets DNV Approval for New FPSO Hull Design

Hanwha Ocean's Tidal Action Drillship Starts Maiden Job with Petrobras

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com