UK offshore wind pipeline just shy of 100GW

The pipeline of offshore wind projects in the UK now stands at 99.8GW.

In total, 130 offshore wind projects are currently in development, representing an increase of 14GW compared to this time last year.

The pipeline includes 13.7GW of fully operational capacity and a further 13.6GW under construction or with support secured for a route to market.

The global pipeline now stands at 1,174GW across 1,417 projects in 38 countries – an increase of 508GW over the past 12 months. The UK’s pipeline is 8.5% of the global total, which is the first time that it has fallen below 10%, as new markets have emerged in Australasia and South America.

RenewableUK chief executive Dan McGrail said: “It’s great to see the UK retaining a powerful position in offshore wind, second only to China.

“However, as our latest report shows, new markets are emerging fast in places like Australia and Brazil, so we can’t take our current status as a world leader for granted.

“The US and EU are offering massive financial incentives for developers to build renewable energy projects – while in the UK we’re being taxed more heavily than oil and gas companies.

“Unless we take bold action to attract billions in private investment, we risk being left behind in the years ahead – the money will simply go elsewhere and we’ll lose out on tens of thousands of jobs.”

Earlier this year, wind generation in the UK exceeded 21GW of electricity for the first time. According to data from the National Grid electricity system operator (ESO), between 6pm and 6.30pm on Tuesday 10 January wind generated 21.6GW of electricity, providing 50.4% of Great Britain’s power.

This compared to 15% for imports, 12% from nuclear and gas contributing 8% during the same period.