25 April (Lloyd's List) - NINE states that border the North Sea have agreed to double offshore wind power targets to meet climate goals and to reduce reliance on energy from Russia.
Political leaders from Belgium, France, Germany, the UK, The Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark and the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen met at the coastal town of Ostend in Belgium this week. A similar summit was held in Esbjerg, Denmark, in May last year.
In a statement, Ms von der Leyen said that the European Union has raised its target for renewables use in power generation to 42% by 2030. The previous target was 32%.
The new target for offshore wind has been boosted to 120 GW by 2030 from 65 GW agreed at the meeting last year. The 2050 goal has been raised to 300 GW from the previous goal of 150 GW.
Currently, about 30 GW of power is generated from offshore wind in the region.
The doubling of targets will “give us all the wind we need in our sails to set the course onto climate neutrality”, she said, adding that the European Commission would help deliver on the targets in part through the Green Deal Industrial Plan.
Danish Shipping expects the acceleration of the development of offshore wind projects to provide “huge” opportunities for shipping companies.
“The prospect of unprecedented large-scale deployment of offshore wind energy in Northern Europe, promises many things — also for the shipping industry,” said the EU’s head of representation Bjarne Løf Henriksen. “We need green fuels and for that to happen, we need dedicated renewable energy.”
However, challenges remain such as the availability of vessels to meet the targets. So far, 500 ships are on order globally, and plenty more will be needed to service the offshore wind industry.
With the oil and gas industry taking off due to high prices, there is no idle capacity right now, said Danish Shipping’s deputy chief executive Jacob Clasen. Shipyard capacity remains a risk factor, though some owners had ordered new ships, which have been delivered ahead of project approval or start-up.
Denmark currently has 2.3 GW of installed offshore wind and Mr Clasen is confident that the targeted 9 GW by 2030 can be achieved. The Norwegian authorities have mapped out potential new areas for bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind along the entire coast.
“Norway has been ranked number two among the world’s most interesting markets for floating offshore wind, and we are right at the top when it comes to technology development,” said Norwegian Offshore Wind head Arvid Nesse. “The Norwegian industry now hope to see a clear plan for the further process around new offshore wind parks.”
Europe is the leader in terms of already installed capacity, followed by China. However, in terms of future growth plans, China and the US are driving developments. Research from the Renewables Consulting Group, an ERM Group company, found that global offshore wind market development soared during 2022 because of energy vulnerability across several key European markets.
More than 550 GW of offshore wind capacity was added to the global development pipeline in the Americas, Sweden, Australia and China, taking the total to 1,250 GW at the end of 2022.
According to its annual market report, the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced many European countries to rethink their dependence on imported fuels and many turned to offshore wind as “a sound mitigating strategy”.
Of the total 145 GW of operational and secured offshore wind capacity, China leads with 37%, followed by the UK at 20%, the US at 10% with 17.5 GW of awarded contracts, and Germany at 9%.
Momentum is building with Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Norway and India intending to hold their first offshore wind auctions this year, it said, adding that floating offshore wind now exceeds 20% of the global portfolio total, with the UK, Norway and France being market leaders.
Associated British Ports will be holding an offshore wind conference in Hull next week. As the North Sea development accelerates, the Siemens Gamesa manufacturing site in the city is set to double in size, ABP said.
“ABP is in a unique position to support the acceleration of the UK’s energy transition by providing the necessary port infrastructure to support offshore wind that will help to create a more sustainable future.”
Its Grimsby port is strategically located adjacent to the 1.3 GW Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm, hailed as the world’s largest. The port is the UK’s largest offshore wind operations and maintenance port, supporting wind farm operators and the wider supply chain.
