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EU’s ambitious offshore wind target ‘attainable’

The European Commission’s targets for the bloc’s offshore wind industry – between 230 and 450 GW of installed capacity by 2050 – are achievable with the correct approaches to grid investment and maritime spatial planning, says a new report from trade body WindEurope. 

The study looked at where 450 GW of offshore wind could be deployed most cost effectively around Europe, bearing in mind that there is only 20 GW installed today. It concludes that 212 GW should be set up in the North Sea, 85 GW in the Atlantic and 70 GW in the Mediterranean and other Southern European waters. 

The report emphasises the importance of maritime spatial planning in bringing down the costs of large-scale wind installations. For instance, it’s not possible to build offshore wind farms in some 60% of the North Sea today because of space use restrictions. Maritime exclusion zones in the EU exist to protect the environment or to demarcate certain areas for use by fishing, shipping or military vessels. 

However, such restrictions also mean that the offshore wind industry can build less than a quarter of the required turbine infrastructure at very low cost – below €50/MWh. Approving multiple uses – such as allowing certain types of fishing in offshore wind farms – would help, WindEurope argues.

Building 450 GW offshore wind by 2050 will require Europe to install over 20 GW a year by 2030 – compared to the 3 GW it installs today. To do this, governments would need to be transparent about revenue schemes to incentivise necessary investments. They must also ensure that grid connections – both on and offshore – are planned for and invested in. WindEurope calculates that capital expenditure on offshore wind, including associated grids, will have to rise from around €6bn a year in 2020 to €23bn by 2030 and thereafter up to €45bn.

News Item details


Journal title: Energy World

Organisation: European Commission|WindEurope

Subjects: Metering, monitoring and targeting, Wind power, Investment

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