The UK has been ranked second-best in the world for floating offshore wind, according to a new report from RenewableUK.
Around the world, 245MW of floating offshore wind is currently fully operational across 15 projects in seven countries. Norway leads the pack with 94MW of capacity across three projects, shortly followed by the UK with 78MW of capacity over two projects. China, Portugal and Japan round out the global top five of operational capacity, with 40MW, 25MW, and 5MW respectively.
Looking further into the future of the global floating wind pipeline, the UK ranks third, with 33.1GW of floating offshore wind projects in development, making up 12% of the global offshore floating wind pipeline. The UK is beaten out by Italy (41.3GW, 16% of global total) and the US (35.3GW, 13%).
The report also reveals that the global offshore floating wind pipeline has grown by 9% in the last 12 months, with 102MW of capacity under construction worldwide, 7.3GW consented or in the pre-construction phase, 21.6GW in the planning system and 184GW in early development or applying for a lease.
Huge potential for offshore floating wind
Additionally, the report reveals that the UK’s floating wind industry could employ as many as 97,000 people by 2050, contributing up to £47 billion to the UK economy. By the year 2050, with the right support in place, floating turbines could provide as much as a third of the UK’s offshore wind capacity, with 40GW potentially operational by this time.
Sooner than that, the cost of developing floating wind is set to plummet, with the potential to cost under £100 per MWh as soon as 2030.
The UK could well be a global leader in floating offshore wind, with the seabed around the UK already leased for up to 24GW of capacity.
This welcome news about offshore wind has naturally set the industry abuzz. RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail, co-chair of the Floating Offshore Wind Taskforce said: “It’s great to see the UK maintaining its position as a world leader in floating wind, but in an increasingly competitive global market the industry will now have to work even harder with the Government to ensure that we ramp up the amount of floating capacity we secure in each annual auction from now on to maintain our advantage.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband added: “Floating offshore wind is at the heart of the government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. By leading the world in this cutting-edge technology, we can speed up the transition to clean energy and secure good jobs and economic growth for our industrial heartlands – all while ensuring the expertise of our North Sea workforce are the people who power this clean future.”
Industry vice-chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) Susie Lind, managing director at BlueFloat Energy Nadara Partnership, said: “Government and industry have a great opportunity to build on the success of the floating projects already generating in UK waters by procuring greater volumes of new capacity in every upcoming clean power auction, supporting early stage projects.”