LONDON, UK, June 18, 2008.
According to figures released by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), installed wind energy generating capacity will have surpassed installed nuclear power within the next five years.
“Wind energy is no longer a minority pursuit. With nearly half a gigawatt (GW) already installed and a further 8GW of schemes in the pipeline, we are now a mainstream energy supplier,” says Maria MacCaffery, CEO of BWEA.
Open seas
Speaking at the BWEA’s Offshore 08 conference in London recently, Rob Hastings, Director of the marine Estate for the Crown Estate, announced a fast-track timetable for allocating the next generation of wind farm sites.
He revealed that zones for 25GW of wind farms will be tendered out to developers during the summer of 2009, thereby “halving the expected time taken for the initial development stages”. And the first phases of the new Round 3 wind farms are likely to start operation in 2015.
“This is fantastic news for the UK wind industry, with Britain’s seas now officially opened for business. This announcement has brought delivery of the [15%] 2020 renewable energy targets a great deal closer,” added MacCaffery.
An initial 11 zones have been identified and are expected to be allocated to developers in 2009. Specific sites will be based on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which will look at the impact on wildlife and habitat, shipping lanes and fishing. The Crown Estate could co-fund the final stages of the planning process with developers.
Individual sites will start to receive planning permission in 2013, with the first phases of new wind farms becoming operational in 2015.
“BWEA has been calling for the approvals process to be reduced from an average of 8-9 years down to 5-6 years. This timetable is a very positive move forward. A wide range of developers are already looking to enter the offshore market – if the Government now acts to speed up the rest of the site assessment and approval process we are confident that we can deliver on time,” adds MacCafffery.
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