UK offshore electricity production hits 7.5TWh

UK: Electricity production by the UK's offshore wind farms hit 7.5TWh in 2012, with 3.4GW installed capacity now operational off the British coast.

by John McKenna 19 June 2013

Turbines being installed at the now operational Greater Gabbard

Marine landlord the Crown Estate yesterday published its first report on all UK offshore wind farms that are operational or nearing construction.

The reveals that there are currently 20 fully operational offshore windfarms with a combined generating capacity of 3.3W.

There is also roughly 100MW of combined capacity turning on the under-development 270MW Lincs offshore wind farm and EDF's 62MW Teesside project.

Last year the industry installed more new offshore wind power capacity than ever before, with over 1.3GW coming fully online in the UK.

Completed projects includes SSE Renewables and RWE npower renewables' Greater Gabbard wind farm, Dong Energy and SSE's Walney 2 project, Vattenfall's Ormonde wind farm and Statoil and Statkraft's Sheringham Shoal.

In total there are four projects, including Teeside and Lincs, currently under construction. Together they represent 1.3GW of installed capacity, the largest of the four projects being RWE's 576MW Gynt y Mor project off the North Wales coast.

Another two projects — Westermost Rough and Humber Gateway — are contracted and ready to start construction, together totalling 429MW, plus another five schemes that have been approved but have yet to reach final investment decisions.

These five projects — which include extensions to Kentish Flats, Greater Gabbard and London Array — will bring a further 1.9GW of offshore wind capacity online.