Brussels, 02/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 30 January, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) announced that the European offshore wind industry saw a slight slowdown of 84 megawatts (MW) in growth of new capacity installations in 2014 compared with 2013 - in other words, a decline of 5.34%.
In 2014, 408 new turbines were nevertheless fully connected to the grid - in other words, 1,483 MW of additional capacity. Offshore wind capacity in the EU thus stood at 8,045 MW at the end of 2014 - in 74 wind farms off the coasts of 11 European countries, according to EWEA.
The UK accounted for over half of the new installations (54.8%), ahead of Germany (35.7%) and Belgium (9.5%). However, in 2015 Germany is expected to install more offshore capacity than the UK. The UK has dominated installations in Europe for the past three years.
“It is not surprising that we see a levelling-off of installations in 2014 following a record year in 2013. The industry has seen exponential growth in the early part of this decade”, said EWEA. “Offshore wind will have a monumental part to play in the EU's energy security drive as part of the European Energy Union but it is political determination that will help Europe unlock its offshore wind potential. The technology and financing are there but we need policymakers to come forward with stable long-term plans to push the growth of this industry and avoid inconsistent policy frameworks for offshore wind”, EWEA stated. (EH)