118 new offshore wind turbines were connected to the electricity grid network in the first half of 2010 according to The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) today.
The new offshore wind farms across Europe total 333 Megawatts (MW) indicating that 2010 is set to be a more progressive year than 2009 which delivered 577 MW at the end of the full year. 151 additional wind turbines have been built but not connected to the grid taking the total installed to 440 MW.
According to EWEA figures there are now 43 operational offshore wind farms in Europe with a total capacity of 2,396 MW.
Energy utility Eon built the most offshore wind farms followed by Dong and Vattenfall. Wind turbine manufacturer Siemens supplied the majority of turbines.
Peter Madigan, Head of Offshore Renewables at RenewableUK, commented:
“Offshore wind build-out is definitely picking up steam across Europe. It is an emphatic endorsement of wind energy as a technology, as countries such as Germany and Denmark, which already have significant onshore wind installations are now pursuing ambitious offshore plans.”
During the first half of 2010, the UK delivered 1GW of installed offshore wind energy capacity accounting for around 40% of European installed capacity. It also has a total development pipeline of 49GW, with a potential do deliver 150 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per annum, out of the UK’s total net consumption of around 315 TWh.
“Offshore wind can deliver not just electricity, but jobs and business benefits to the UK. Earlier this year we have seen some of the world’s best known companies commit to building offshore wind turbines in the UK. This is a once in a generation opportunity and the right time for Government to support the nascent UK offshore sector with well timed investment in ports and infrastructure” said Madigan.
