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Round 3 offshore wind winners announced
The Crown Estate today announced the winners of the Round 3 offshore wind zones, with Gordon Brown deeming the announcement "a defining moment" in the future of UK energy policy.
Potential generation across all sites could be as much as 32GW, providing around a third of the UK's power. Whether this will be by 2020 remains to be seen.
The developers who signed exclusivity zone agreements are:
1. Moray Firth Zone, Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd which is 75% owned by EDP Renovaveis and 25% owned by SeaEnergy Renewables - 1.3 GW
2. Firth of Forth Zone, SeaGreen Wind Energy Ltd equally owned by SSE Renewables and Fluor - 3.5 GW
3. Dogger Bank Zone, the Forewind Consortium equally owned by each of SSE Renewables, RWE Npower Renewables, Statoil and Statkraft - 9 GW
4. Hornsea Zone, Siemens Project Ventures and Mainstream Renewable Power, a consortium equally owned by Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures and involving Hochtief Construction - 4 GW
5. Norfolk Bank Zone, East Anglia Offshore Wind Ltd equally owned by Scottish Power Renewables and Vattenfall Vindkraft - 7.2 GW
6. Hastings Zone, Eon Climate and Renewables UK - 0.6 GW
7. West of Isle of Wight Zone, Eneco New Energy - 0.9 GW
8. Bristol Channel Zone, RWE Npower Renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy - 1.5 GW
9. Irish Sea Zone, Centrica Renewable Energy and involving RES Group - 4.2 GW
The full announcment can be read here
For further deails, see the print issue of Utility Week, published 15 January.
Today’s announcement is a major leap forward in realising the potential for clean, green energy production through wind power: it sets the UK apart as the leading offshore wind energy producer not only in Europe but worldwide both in terms of total potential power generation from offshore, and the scale of new, green-collar employment opportunity.
We need to ensure the UK also benefits through a boost in manufacturing, engineering and skills: but this will only happen if additional action is taken by the Government through working actively to create coastal manufacturing hubs. This will encourage wind energy manufacturing companies to locate in the UK and enable British businesses to take full advantage of the supply chain opportunities, for the benefit of jobs and the UK economy as well as Britain’s energy security.
Maria McCaffery, chief executive, BWEA | 08 January 2010, 04:24 PM
Wind energy, both on and offshore is expected to make up a third of the UK’s 15% renewable energy target, with biomass in its various forms making up half and hydro, wave and tidal, solar and heat pumps the remainder.
At present we are producing just 2.4% of our total energy from renewables, meaning a massive ramping up of renewables deployment is required and necessary at all scales – from the largest of offshore wind farms, to the smallest of household installations.
For this to happen we need to crack on with grid access, stop making unnecessary and unhelpful changes to the Renewables Obligation, give wave and tidal project developers the right level of incentive and introduce an effective Feed-in-Tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive.
Gaynor Hartnell, chief policy officer, REA | 08 January 2010, 04:26 PM
“Today’s announcement is a welcome investment in the future of our energy sector. As the events of the last week have shown the UK’s energy situation is precarious. We urgently need to shift our reliance from fossil fuels to meet ambitious renewable energy targets and address security of supply.
“This could be a significant export opportunity for the UK. We have the engineering expertise to deliver world-class wind farms but we must ensure progress isn’t hindered by planning delays, a lack of skilled engineers and supply chain constraints. Ongoing investment in supporting infrastructure and the national grid itself will be crucial to ensure these projects reach their full potential.”
“If successful, these projects could go a long way to ensure ongoing security of supply.”
Tom Foulkes, Director General, Institution of Civil Engineers | 08 January 2010, 04:30 PM
Plans to build thousands of offshore turbines are fantastic news - but the Government must do more to develop the UK's vast wind energy potential and ensure that Britain reaps the benefits of creating thousands of new green jobs.
"This country could be at the forefront of the green energy revolution, which will also slash emissions and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but Ministers must develop a detailed and comprehensive strategy to make this safe, clean and prosperous future a reality.
Nick Rau, Friends of the Earth, renewable energy campaigner | 08 January 2010, 04:40 PM
We are delighted to have the opportunity to develop what will be one of the most significant renewable energy projects in the UK.
By developing Atlantic Array Wind Farm within the Bristol Channel Zone we will play a leading role in meeting the UK's challenging targets for generating renewable energy and reducing the impacts of climate change, while helping to improve domestic energy security in the future.
RWE npower renewables is a highly experienced offshore wind farm developer and is committed to developing a wind farm that is appropriate for the location and considerate of the local onshore and offshore environments.
Development of the nine Round 3 zones represents a fantastic opportunity for UK businesses and the supply chain to gear up in support of the growing offshore wind industry and to reap the economic and employment benefits this represents.
Paul Coffey, Chief Operating Officer, RWE Innogy | 08 January 2010, 04:42 PM
Offshore wind is a cornerstone of Vattenfall’s contribution to a better climate. Vattenfall is therefore delighted to be working with ScottishPower Renewables and we are excited about the prospect of using our wide and varied offshore wind experience gained building schemes across Europe by developing a wind farm off the East Anglia coast.
Lars G Josefsson, President and CEO of Vattenfall | 08 January 2010, 04:44 PM
“In addition to making the UK the leader in offshore wind generation, it is anticipated that Round 3 will act as a massive stimulus to all elements of the supply chain for offshore wind farms. This will include not only wind turbines, but also foundations and steel work, cabling and installation vessels. It will tap into the UK's expertise in offshore installation, meaning new investment and jobs across these sectors.
Nicholas Pincott, London energy partner, Norton Rose | 08 January 2010, 06:54 PM
We are delighted to be working with Vattenfall on what will be one of the world's largest windfarm developments.
There is no doubt that delivering the East Anglia Array will be a major engineering challenge but, as the largest developer of onshore wind power in the UK, we have acquired a great deal of expertise in the last 15 years that will help us to achieve such an ambitious project.
Ignacio Galán, Chairman and CEO of Iberdrola, parent company of ScottishPower Renewables | 08 January 2010, 07:30 PM
Through a combination of innovation and expertise and by working in close collaboration with The Crown Estate, we’re confident that we’ll deliver in record time. This is about delivering a whole new industry for the UK, one that provides sustainable, secure and indigenous power as well as tens of thousands of new jobs throughout the supply chain. This will have a major impact on the long-term economic development of the UK as well as positioning it as the global leader in offshore wind generation. It is our intention to work closely with local communities to ensure that this new industry brings real opportunities for jobs, training and new business.
Dr Eddie O’Connor, Chief Executive, Mainstream Renewable Power | 08 January 2010, 07:32 PM