European Union Plans to increase offshore wind farm capacity by 250%
The capacity of the European Union’s offshore wind farm will be increased by 250% in the Baltic, the Atlantic, the North Sea, the black sea and the Mediterranean under a draft plan drawn up by the European commission.
The European seas generate around 23 gigawatts of energy in a year, from 5,047 grid-connected wind turbines across 12 countries, including the UK.
The largest amount of offshore wind capacity in Europe is produced by The UK, with 45% of all installations, Germany with 34% followed by Denmark 8%, Belgium 7% and the Netherlands 5%.
The world’s largest wind farms in Walney and Hornsea 1 are in The UK, which is currently providing more in offshore wind than any other country
The German government said over summer it would increase its current capacity of 7.5GW to 20GW by 2030, with a target of 40GW by 2040
Iván Pineda, The director of public affairs at Wind Europe said
“Offshore wind is cheap but requires huge upfront investment. So it’s crucial to minimize the finance costs. And the best way to do that is to ensure wind farms have stable income.
“It’s very important the strategy recognizes this, both for conventional wind farms and the hybrid ones that connect to more than one country.
“We need to rethink how offshore wind is deployed in Europe. Connecting wind farms to more than one country is a logical evolution and crucial step to optimize space at sea, reduce costs of grids, and send electricity where it is needed.
“The current EU rules put offshore hybrids at a disadvantage against regular offshore wind and interconnector projects.”
