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Released June 12, 2017 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Europe could be looking at a five-fold increase in offshore wind power after energy ministers from Germany, Denmark and Belgium signed a pledge with 25 leading energy companies to increase offshore wind power capacity by more than 60 gigawatts (GW).
Signed at the recent Offshore Wind Energy 2017 event in London, the pledge aims to deliver at least 4 GW a year of offshore wind capacity in Europe in the 2020s. Europe has about 13 GW of offshore wind capacity currently, but industry group WindEurope expects the technology to grow as costs fall, and "as countries look for ways to increase their low-carbon electricity options to help meet emission reduction targets."
"With this joint statement, leading businesses and governments are taking the next step by committing to cooperate on the deployment of big volumes for offshore wind energy," said Giles Dickson, chief executive officer of industry group WindEurope.
The pledge comes a year after 10 governments sharing the North Sea signed a Political Declaration for regional cooperation on offshore wind energy. This was followed last July by an alliance of the largest energy companies in Europe, which agreed to cut the cost of offshore wind power below £100 ($129) per megawatt-hour (MWh) by 2020. That target was achieved earlier this year, three years early. For additional information, see July 13, 2016, article - Energy Giants Aim to Slash Offshore Wind Costs.
WindEurope highlighted that winning bids of auctions in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark have delivered up to 48% cost reduction compared to projects awarded just two years ago.
Keith Anderson, the chief executive officer of ScottishPower Renewables, said: "The industry has delivered cost reductions ahead of all expectations and way beyond any other generation technology. But the report released today shows we only use a fraction of the resource potential available in the European sea basins. We need to deliver an offshore wind industrial strategy driven by innovation and technology development to tap into the massive offshore wind potential."
"We will continue with technological innovation, testing and industrialisation to reduce costs going forward," added Michael Hannibal, chief executive officer of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. "But it's absolutely necessary to have sufficiently large volumes for offshore wind deployment. We need to build on the joint statement and create a strong market for offshore wind in Europe. This will deliver sustainable offshore wind energy to society and allow manufacturers to maintain global technology leadership."
Showing just how quickly the offshore wind energy sector has been changing, Industrial Info reported in April on the proposed building of the world's first offshore windfarms without government financial aid. In Germany's first wind power auction, three of the four windfarms accepted--known as 'zero-sum' windfarms--will be built with no financial help. DONG Energy A/S (Fredericia, Denmark) will build the 240-megawatt (MW) OWP West and the 240-MW Borkum Riffgrund West 2 offshore windfarms, while EnBW (FWB:EBK) (Karlsruhe, Germany) will build the 900-MW He Dreiht offshore windfarm without subsidies. For additional information, see April 20, 2017, article - World's First 'Subsidy-Free' Windfarms Get German OK.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
Signed at the recent Offshore Wind Energy 2017 event in London, the pledge aims to deliver at least 4 GW a year of offshore wind capacity in Europe in the 2020s. Europe has about 13 GW of offshore wind capacity currently, but industry group WindEurope expects the technology to grow as costs fall, and "as countries look for ways to increase their low-carbon electricity options to help meet emission reduction targets."
"With this joint statement, leading businesses and governments are taking the next step by committing to cooperate on the deployment of big volumes for offshore wind energy," said Giles Dickson, chief executive officer of industry group WindEurope.
The pledge comes a year after 10 governments sharing the North Sea signed a Political Declaration for regional cooperation on offshore wind energy. This was followed last July by an alliance of the largest energy companies in Europe, which agreed to cut the cost of offshore wind power below £100 ($129) per megawatt-hour (MWh) by 2020. That target was achieved earlier this year, three years early. For additional information, see July 13, 2016, article - Energy Giants Aim to Slash Offshore Wind Costs.
WindEurope highlighted that winning bids of auctions in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark have delivered up to 48% cost reduction compared to projects awarded just two years ago.
Keith Anderson, the chief executive officer of ScottishPower Renewables, said: "The industry has delivered cost reductions ahead of all expectations and way beyond any other generation technology. But the report released today shows we only use a fraction of the resource potential available in the European sea basins. We need to deliver an offshore wind industrial strategy driven by innovation and technology development to tap into the massive offshore wind potential."
"We will continue with technological innovation, testing and industrialisation to reduce costs going forward," added Michael Hannibal, chief executive officer of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. "But it's absolutely necessary to have sufficiently large volumes for offshore wind deployment. We need to build on the joint statement and create a strong market for offshore wind in Europe. This will deliver sustainable offshore wind energy to society and allow manufacturers to maintain global technology leadership."
Showing just how quickly the offshore wind energy sector has been changing, Industrial Info reported in April on the proposed building of the world's first offshore windfarms without government financial aid. In Germany's first wind power auction, three of the four windfarms accepted--known as 'zero-sum' windfarms--will be built with no financial help. DONG Energy A/S (Fredericia, Denmark) will build the 240-megawatt (MW) OWP West and the 240-MW Borkum Riffgrund West 2 offshore windfarms, while EnBW (FWB:EBK) (Karlsruhe, Germany) will build the 900-MW He Dreiht offshore windfarm without subsidies. For additional information, see April 20, 2017, article - World's First 'Subsidy-Free' Windfarms Get German OK.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
