This year is set to be a record one for the offshore wind sector, says the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), but a lack of financing is holding back the industry’s growth.
On Tuesday EWEA reported that 118 offshore wind turbines were connected to the grid in the first six months of 2010, adding an additional 333MW of capacity. This compares with the 577MW installed over the whole of 2009.
A further 151 installed turbines, totalling 440MW, were awaiting grid connection, EWEA said.
EWEA says there are currently 948 offshore wind turbines across Europe in 43 fully operational offshore wind farms, with a total capacity of 2,396MW.
Justin Wilkes, EWEA policy director, said wind is shaping up to be a “major growth industry” but funding remains a concern.
“The number of offshore wind turbines connected to the grid in the first half of this year is well over half the total amount installed all last year and I am confident we are heading for a record year,” he said.
“There is no doubt this burgeoning industry is being held back by a lack of finance. Projects led by utilities are less affected, thanks to their ability to fund investments from their balance sheets, but independent developers are severely constrained. Loans from public institutions such as the European Investment Bank are crucial and have already helped a number of projects, and this support must be extended further.”
Three utilities dominated offshore wind development in the first half of the year. EWEA said developer E.ON Climate and Renewables was responsible for 64% of the offshore capacity connected to the grid in first six months, with Dong Energy contributing 21% and Vattenfall 11%.
Among the manufacturers, Siemens accounted for 55% of the offshore capacity connected during the first half of 2010, Vestas 36% and REpower 30.9%.
UK wind and marine energy representative group, RenewableUK, welcomed EWEA’s figures saying they were a strong endorsement for wind t echnology. The group said the UK accounted for half the wind farms installed in Europe this year, and around 40% of total Europe-wide wind energy capacity.
Meanwhile, Spanish turbine manufacturer Gamesa inked an agreement with developer Esquilvent, yesterday to construct three wind farms in Palencia, Spain.
Charlotte Dudley
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