Industry pleads for more ambition in offshore wind

A group of major industry players have called for further collaboration and a higher ambition in the offshore wind sector in northern Europe, as North Sea country governments agree to continue to work together on developing the sector.

by David Weston 20 June 2019

The North Sea offshore wind industry could accommodate 450GW of capacity, the industry has suggested

The North Seas Energy Days forum is part of the North Seas Energy Cooperation .

At the event in Denmark today (20 June), the ten countries agreed to continue their collaboration in supporting the offshore wind sector.

Additionally, the industry has signaled its ambition in offshore wind could be higher, suggesting it could install the European Commission's target 450GW of offshore wind by 2050, if the right framework is provided.

In a communique published by WindEurope, on behalf of the sector, the offshore wind industry called on the governments to provide greater access to sites, including a combined approach to planning and permitting and to involve project developers in marine spatial planning.

It also said developers should be able to design the links to national grids, while governments should define "optimum onshore locations" for export cable landing points, thereby reducing the number required.

The companies called for a framework to be established to allow projects to connect to more than one market.

Finally, greater alignment of technical standards should be sought, which would reduce cost while increasing safety. "This should include vessels and crew requirements, aviation and naval lighting and marketing, health and safety and project certification".