Brussels, 03/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - According to the most recent statistics recorded by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) on Tuesday 2 February, offshore wind capacity continued its expansion in Europe last year and doubled its investment to €13.3 billion over the year for grid-connected installations (3 gigawatts).
A total of 3,019 MW in new offshore wind capacity came online in European waters in 2015. Germany (75.4%), the United Kingdom (18.7%) and the Netherlands (5.9%) were the three countries to grid-connect new offshore wind turbines in 2015.
In total, the number of offshore wind installations in the EU now stands at 3,230 in 84 different wind farms, in 11 countries (including sites currently under construction) that have a related capacity of 11,027 gigawatts or the equivalent capacity of 11 nuclear reactors. Current capacity is capable of producing almost 40.6 terawatt hours during a year of normal winds, while electricity produced by offshore wind turbines is now able to cover 1.5% of total EU electricity consumption, explained the EWEA.
The six offshore wind farms in Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom account for supplementary capacity of 1,900 GW.
According to the EWEA, however, network connections are expected to slow down in 2016 due to a lower number of projects set up last year. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)