UK has over 10.6 GW of operational & confirmed offshore wind - trade body

The UK now has more than 10.6 GW of offshore wind capacity in operation, under construction or having fully secured financial support, after two projects totalling almost 1 GW were confirmed last week, said RenewableUK.

The country currently has 50 MW under construction, 2.6 GW in pre-construction and more than 2.9 GW with financing in place. Once built, these projects will double the current operational offshore wind capacity of slightly more than 5 GW, the wind trade body said on Friday.

The renewables arm of German utility RWE AG (ETR:RWE) announced on Friday it has achieved financial close on the 336-MW Galloper offshore wind project off the coast of Suffolk, after agreeing to equally share the ownership with three new investors. Earlier last week, Danish utility Dong Energy A/S said it has made a final investment decision to build the 660-MW Walney Extension project in the Irish Sea.

RenewableUK said the news consolidated the UK's global lead in offshore wind and noted that the Committee on Climate Change, the government's advisory body, had recommended the installation of 1 GW-2 GW of offshore wind a year throughout the 2020s so that carbon reduction goals are met.

"However, if we’re to continue to deliver ambitious offshore infrastructure projects throughout the 2020s, we need a clear plan from Government stating how much offshore wind capacity it wants over the next decade," said RenewableUK's director of policy for economics and regulation, Gordon Edge.

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