Europe installed 2.6 GW of new offshore wind energy capacity in 2018, with 15 new offshore wind farms on line, according to statistics released today by WindEurope. This represents an 18% increase in Europe’s offshore wind capacity.
Key points The UK installed the world’s biggest offshore turbines – 8.8 MW – and opened the world’s largest offshore wind farm – Walney 3 extension, 657 MW. Belgium and Germany also opened their largest wind farms to date. Offshore wind now represents 2% of all the electricity consumed in Europe. And with a big pipeline of projects under construction and development, this number will rise significantly, …WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said. A further six offshore wind farms are currently under construction in Europe, including the world’s first +1 GW offshore wind farm – Hornsea 1 in the UK. Then a further 12 new offshore wind projects reached Final Investment Decision in 2018. These represent a further 4.2 GW of capacity and €10.3 billion of investment. The amount invested was 37% up on 2017 but the capacity covered was up 91% – showing how quickly costs are falling and how much more bang you now get for your buck. The technology keeps developing. The turbines keep getting bigger. And the costs keep falling. It’s now no more expensive to build offshore wind than it is to build coal or gas plants. And it’s a good deal cheaper than new nuclear. According to Mr. Dickson, more and more governments are recognising the merits of offshore wind, such as Poland that was the latest to embrace an ambitious plan to build 10 GW by 2040. However, a few countries are underperforming on it and risk missing out: Sweden is not building any offshore wind despite great potential. Germany has only a modest target for 2030. And the ‘gamma minus’ performer is France which still has no offshore wind farms nor is it clear when they will have. These countries have a chance to put things right this year with their National Energy and Climate Plans – they should grab it with two hands.
