Industry body RenewableUK published a report today (17 June) showing that global offshore wind operational capacity has increased by over a fifth in the last year.
In the last year, global offshore wind capacity grew from 65.1GW to 75GW, a rise of 21%. The UK stands out as a global powerhouse for offshore wind, with a 14.7GW operational capacity, second only to China’s 36.7GW capacity.
The UK also has the second largest developmental pipeline for offshore wind, once again coming second to China. The UK has 96GW of offshore capacity in development across 122 projects in UK waters. The report forecasts that almost 44GW of capacity could be operational by the end of 2030.
The report highlights concerns many have raised about the sluggish nature of the UK’s planning system. The UK has 15.8GW of potential capacity in the planning system awaiting a decision – the highest amount ever in planning at one time.
RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail said: “It’s great to see we’ve reached a landmark 75GW of offshore wind operational worldwide, with the UK maintaining its place as a global leader in an intensely competitive international market.
“To consolidate the UK’s position even further, we’re asking the next government to maximise the amount of offshore wind capacity we can secure in this year’s auction for new projects. The current budget will only enable less than half the capacity which is eligible to go ahead, and the floating wind budget will only secure one project even though four can bid in this year, so we need to see more ambition within the first few days of the new government taking office.
“It’s also significant that the UK has a record high of more than 15GW of new offshore wind capacity in planning. We’ll be urging the next government to reform the planning system to enable projects to go ahead in a more timely manner, to increase the UK’s energy security and drive down bills for consumers”.
Offshore wind could bring major benefits to the UK
Research commissioned by RenewableUK and released earlier this month has revealed that the uptick in offshore wind could have a noticeable impact on UK consumers.
The analysis predicts that consumers would save approximately £68 per year on their energy bills in a scenario where the grid is predominantly powered by offshore wind.
However, this future may not be in store for the UK, as analysis by the Institute for Public Policy and Research (IPPR) has forecasted that the UK won’t meet its 2030 offshore wind targets until 2048 unless the rate of turbine installations triples.
