The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) reported that the offshore wind industry achieved a record of 6.1 GW installations of new capacity in 2019, bringing the overall capacity to 29 GW. It is stated that Europe remained the largest market for offshore wind, holding a 59% stake of new installation, followed by Asia-Pacific region which accounted for the remaining 41%.
The US offshore wind industry can deliver important economic benefits over the next decade, according to the ”U.S. Offshore Wind Power Economic Impact Assessment” report, released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
The port of Rotterdam reported that the coming decades will present a development in the number of wind farms in the North Sea, providing opportunities to the port and the companies on this segment.
Polish Port of Gdynia announced its expansion plans which will enable the port to accommodate the construction and operation of offshore wind farms in the Polish Baltic Sea. Poland aims to develop 8GW of offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea by 2035.
UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) launched a competition for proposals that can provide future offshore wind farm mitigation for UK Air Defence surveillance. The competition will close on April 7 and DASA expects multiple proposals to be funded with up to GBP 2 million available in total from the BEIS Energy Innovation Programme.
February 2020 was a record month for wind energy in the Belgian North Sea, with 804 GWh production. This corresponds to the annual consumption of 230,000 households. This record of offshore wind power production is attributed to a higher installed capacity and record wind conditions last month.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced the offshore wind solicitation schedule to meet the 7,500 MW offshore wind goal by 2035. This will generate enough electricity to power more than 3.2 million homes and meet 50% of the state’s electric power need.
The Global Wind Energy Council and the Japan Wind Power Association formed a joint Japan Offshore Wind Task Force to drive offshore wind growth in Japan. The Task Force will focus on addressing regulatory and industrial bottlenecks, so that the country can take full advantage of its offshore wind potential.
A Dutch consortium comprising Gasunie, Groningen Seaports and Shell The Netherlands, revealed plans to launch the NortH2 project, foreseeing the production of green hydrogen using renewable electricity generated by a mega offshore wind farm, in line with the objectives of the Dutch Climate Accord.
Danish offshore wind firm Ørsted and Dutch NGO Stichting Noordzeeboerderij, promoting the seaweed sector, signed a Letter of Intent to combine ‘mooring solutions with nature development in multi-use systems’. The collaboration is considered a stepping stone for realizing multi-use sea farms.
