UK Can Secure Record Number Of Offshore Wind Farms In This Year’s Auction For New Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from RenewableUK.
The first five paragraphs, should be read as a whole and are a good summary of, where the UK is with offshore wind.
A new report published today by RenewableUK shows that the Government has an opportunity to secure a record number of new offshore wind farms, and record amount of new capacity, in this year’s summer’s auction for contracts to generate clean power (Contracts for Difference). In a huge boost to the UK’s energy security, the Government has the potential to double the country’s offshore wind capacity in this year’s auction alone.
RenewableUK’s latest EnergyPulse Insights Offshore Wind report reveals that 14 wind farms are already eligible to bid into this year’s CfD auction (Allocation Round 6), providing nearly 10.3 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity. The previous records were set in 2022 when 8.5GW was eligible across 7 projects.
In addition to this, a further 4.7GW of new offshore wind capacity (out of 8.7GW in the planning system) could become eligible before applications open for AR6 at the end of March. If these projects were to receive consent from the Government, 14.9GW of offshore wind capacity would be eligible for this year’s auction. The report notes that being eligible does not mean that projects will choose to bid in – but they have the potential to do so.
To put this 14.9GW of potential new capacity into context, we currently have 14.7GW of fully operational offshore wind which generates 14% of the UK’s entire electricity needs. Just one gigawatt of offshore wind generates enough electricity to power over a million British homes for a year.
The report also shows that a further 5.2GW are already under construction in UK waters, and it forecasts that nearly 45GW could be fully operational by the end of 2030.
It is certainly worth reading through to the last paragraph.
The press release also lists the projects eligible to bid into AR6.
- Norfolk Vanguard West and Norfolk Vanguard East (2,760MW) – RWE
- Hornsea Four (2,600MW) – Ørsted
- Awel y Môr (1,100MW) – RWE
- East Anglia Two (900MW) – Iberdrola
- East Anglia One North (800MW) – Iberdrola
- Hornsea Three (753.1MW) – Ørsted
- Seagreen 1A (500MW) – SSE Renewables, TotalEnergies
- East Anglia Three (318MW) – Iberdrola
- Inch Cape (270MW) – Inch Cape Offshore
- Pentland (floating project) (100MW) – Highland Wind Limited
- Erebus (floating project) (100MW)
- Blyth 2 (floating project) (58MW)
- Forthwind (test and demonstration site) (8MW) – Forthwind Limited
These make a total of 10,267MW
Currently, as I write this the UK is generating 29 GW, so 45 GW with a lot of energy storage, should be enough to power the country.
Iberdrola Preparing Two East Anglia Offshore Wind Projects For UK’s Sixth CfD Round
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
ScottishPower Renewables, Iberdrola’s company in the UK, is getting the East Anglia One North and East Anglia Two offshore wind projects ready for the upcoming auction round for Contracts for Difference (CfD).
These three paragraphs give more details.
This is according to project updates Iberdrola published as part of its financial results for 2023.
Iberdrola says “good progress is being made in the key engineering and design work” for the two projects and, while they were not presented in the UK’s fifth CfD Allocation Round (AR5), preparations are being made to take part in Allocation Round 6 (AR6).
The two offshore wind farms are part of the GBP 6.5 billion (around EUR 7.6 billion) East Anglia Hub project, which also includes East Anglia Three, currently in construction and expected to start delivering electricity in 2026. The 1.4 GW East Anglia Three was awarded Contract for Difference in July 2022.
It is now possible to build a table of Iberdrola’s East Anglian Hub.
- East Anglia One – 714 MW – Commissioned in 2020.
- East Anglia One North – 800 MW – To be commissioned in 2026.
- East Anglia Two – 900 MW – To be commissioned in 2026.
- East Anglia Three – 1372 MW – To be commissioned in 2026.
Note.
- East Anglia One is the largest windfarm in Iberdrola’s history
- These four wind farms are connected to the shore at Bawdsey on the River Deben.
These wind farms are a total of 3786 MW.
In addition there are RWE’s three Norfolk wind farms.
- Norfolk Boreas – 1386 MW – To be commissioned in 2027.
- Norfolk Vanguard East – 1380 MW – To be commissioned before 2030.
- Norfolk Vanguard West – 1380 MW – To be commissioned before 2030.
These wind farms are a total of 4146 MW, with a grand total of 7932 MW.
What Will Happen To The Electricity?
Consider.
- It is a lot of electricity.
- The good people of Norfolk are already protesting about the cables and pylons, that will connect the electricity to the National Grid.
- The good people of Suffolk will probably follow, their Northern neighbours.
- The wind farms are owned by Spanish company; Iberdrola and German company; RWE.
I wonder, if someone will build a giant electrolyser at a convenient place on the coast and export the hydrogen to Europe by pipeline or tanker.
- The ports of Felixstowe, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft could probably handle a gas tanker.
- The Bacton gas terminal has gas pipelines to Belgium and The Netherlands.
In addition, there are various electricity interconnectors in use or under construction, that could send electricity to Europe.
- National Grid’s Lion Link to the Netherlands.
- NeuConnect to Germany from the Isle of Grain.
Whoever is the UK’s Prime Minister in 2030 will reap the benefits of these East Anglian and Norfolk wind farms.
In addition.
- The Hornsea wind farm will have tripled in size from 2604 MW to 8000 MW.
- The Dogger Bank wind farm will have grown from 1235 MW to 8000 MW.
- There is 4200 MW of wind farms in Morecambe Bay and around England.
They would be so lucky.
The Anonymous Widower 