A new report by the joint UK government–industry Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) taskforce suggests that floating wind could be “this century’s biggest British industrial success story” – if the right measures are put in place to enable more projects to go ahead faster.
Floating wind: anchoring the next generation offshore finds that by 2050, floating turbines could provide a third of the UK’s offshore wind capacity with 40 GW fully operational.
It also shows that the cost of building floating projects could fall by 30% by 2030 to under £100 per megawatt hour. The UK already has two floating wind farms operating and the report emphasises the importance of getting more test and demonstration projects up and running as fast as possible, scaling up rapidly so that costs can be driven down through learning by experience, replicating the spectacular cost reduction of fixed offshore wind.
The UK already has one of the largest floating wind project pipelines in the world, and is said to be at a more advanced stage of development than any other country, with the seabed already leased for up to 24 GW of capacity.
However, the report warns that a lack of suitable ports to manufacture and assemble floating turbines, and strong competition from European suppliers, mean that unless development of the supply chain is prioritised, the UK risks missing out on the full economic potential of floating wind.
The report highlights the benefits of focussing on high-value parts of the floating wind supply chain, such as steel and concrete platforms, cables, moorings and anchors, in line with the UK Industrial Growth Plan for offshore wind.
Production of the report was funded by The Crown Estate, Crown Estate Scotland, Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence, RenewableUK, Scottish Renewables, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, and the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC).
