The United Kingdom plans 40 GW of offshore wind by 2030

The British government has confirmed its target to raise offshore wind capacity to 40 GW by 2030 and its commitment to support the development of floating wind turbines.

The offshore wind capacity in the United Kingdom has been soaring since 2000, from 4 MW to 7.9 GW at the end of 2018 and to more than 9 GW in early December 2019. In addition, there are more than 3 GW under construction and expected to be commissioned between 2020 and 2022. Offshore wind projects are gaining momentum as costs are falling. In the latest Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction in September 2019, the cost of offshore wind fell by 30% (compared to the previous auction held in 2017) reaching £39.65/MWh (€46.7/MWh), which was lower than the wholesale price, and significantly lower than the £92.50/MWh (€109/MWh) CfD awarded in 2016 to the Hinkley Point C nuclear project. The winning bidders included Equinor and SSE (DoggerBank Creak and Doggerbank Teeside, 3.6 GW) and innogy (Sofia, 1.4 GW). The partners plan to make final investment decision (FID) for the first projects during 2020, while first power is planned to be injected into the grid in 2023. In October 2019, the government also issued the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) for Offshore Wind Leasing Round 4, which will offer seabed rights for at least 7 GW of new offshore wind projects in England and Wales.

The British government plans to hold another CfD allocation round in 2021 and to carry out new auctions approximately every two years to deliver between 1 and 2 GW of offshore wind capacity each year in the 2020s.