Offshore wind projects have grown by almost 50% since January
The total pipeline of global offshore wind projects has grown by 47% since January, according to a new report published by RenewableUK.
The report has revealed that despite the pandemic, the total capacity of offshore wind projects which are operational, under construction, consented, in planning or in development currently stands at 197.4 gigawatts, up from 134.7GW in mid-January.
Just over half of these projects are in Europe, and the UK retains the top spot with a total pipeline of 31.3GW, up 12% from January.
China also saw a dramatic increase, from fourth place into second with an 80% increase since January.
In comparison, Germany has dropped from second to sixth place due to a 29% decrease in its pipeline from 16.5GW in January to 11.7GW in October.
In terms of operational capacity, the UK still has the most in the world (10.4GW), Germany is in second place with 7.7GW, China is third (4.6GW), Belgium fourth (1.8GW) and Denmark fifth with 1.7GW.
RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive Melanie Onn said: ‘The global appetite to develop new offshore wind projects remains enormous, despite the pandemic this year, as this research proves.
‘The UK and many other countries are counting on the rapid growth of the offshore wind sector to be a key driver in the worldwide green economic recovery.
‘The UK remains the biggest market for offshore wind in the world and our capacity is set to quadruple over the course of this decade following the Prime Minister’s landmark commitment to power every UK home with offshore wind by 2030.
‘As well as providing clean, low-cost power, our industry will continue to revitalise coastal communities, grow the UK supply chain and export our offshore wind goods and services around the world, as our unrivalled expertise is now in huge demand globally.’
In related news, earlier this year Boris Johnson pledged to ensure that wind power will provide electricity to every single home in the country by 2030.
Photo Credit – Pixabay
