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BWEA Press Release

Wednesday 7th December 2007

Hutton to anounce major offshore wind push

"By 2020 enough electricity to power all of UK's homes"

BWEA welcomes new offshore wind proposal

Britain's leading renewable energy trade association, BWEA, today welcomed the prospect of major increase in the UK's renewable energy capacity. Business & Enterprise Secretary John Hutton is set to announce imminently a new strategy for the development of offshore wind.

The 2007 Scoping Document is due to be published on Monday 10th December. The Scoping Document will set out Government's expectations for future offshore wind farm sites in UK waters.

It is the starting gun for a Strategic Environmental Assessment of UK waters that should result in new sites for developers from 2010 onwards. Following a round of site awards, offshore wind power could provide virtually all electricity for UK's domestic power consumption.

BWEA Chief Executive Maria McCaffery "This is a decisive step towards delivering Britain's share of the EU 2020 renewables target." She added "The Scoping Document sets out where the UK's next generation of offshore wind could be and the BWEA's new report, Moving up a Gear, shows that it can be delivered"

The BWEA's report 'UK Offshore Wind: Moving up a Gear' examines the challenges of delivering offshore wind, and concludes that we are well on the way to having 6,300MW of generating capacity in the water by 2015. With new sites flowing from the process started by the Scoping Document, the UK could have 20,000MW of offshore wind capacity by 2020, the equivalent of 17% of UK supply.

Capacity equal to half the world's existing offshore wind fleet is currently being built in UK waters. Earlier this year the world's largest offshore wind farm, the 1,000MW London Array, received its final approval and it is expected to be completed in the Thames Estuary by 2012. The 500MW Greater Gabbard and 300MW Thanet projects in the Thames are aiming for construction by 2010, while the 450MW Walney scheme was approved recently. In 2008, the UK will overtake Denmark as the largest generator of offshore wind power in the world.

McCaffery added "We welcome the Government's effort to place wind energy on a sound footing and promote Britain into a leader in this sector. This expansion will mean that by 2015 the UK's offshore market will be twice the size of any other national offshore wind market."

Notes to Editors

  1. BWEA is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries. Formed in 1978, and with over 350 corporate members, BWEA is the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK. Wind has been the world's fastest growing renewable energy source for the last seven years, and this trend is expected to continue with falling costs of wind energy and the urgent international need to tackle CO2 emissions to prevent climate change.
  2. The 2007 Scoping Document will be followed by the 3rd round of site awards. First and second round were held in 2001 and 2003.