Global Offshore Wind Capacity Reaches 83 GW, 100 GW More To Be Awarded in 2025-2026, New Report Says
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
According to a new market report from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), there are now 83 GW of offshore wind capacity installed globally, with 48 GW more in the construction phase worldwide as of May this year.
The first paragraph is a quote from Rebecca Williams, Deputy CEO at GWEC.
Our report finds that there is now already 83 GW of offshore wind installed worldwide, keeping the lights on for 73 million households, and powering countries’ economic development. There is currently a further 48 GW of offshore wind [under] construction worldwide. With its unique position in the marine space, and ability to produce large amounts of reliable, homegrown power, nations around the world are pushing forward the technology to enhance their energy independence and autonomy
I doubt Ms. Williams will be on the Donald Trump’s Christmas card list.
The article is worth a full read, as it contains some interesting statistics.
This is the last paragraph of the article.
Global Wind Energy Council’s 2024 global offshore wind outlook for total additions in the 2025-2029 period was 156.72 GW, which has now been downgraded to 118.56 GW.
These are my estimates for the amount of offshore wind in the UK.
- Currently Installed – 16, 035 MW
- To Be Installed in 2025 – 1,235 MW
- To Be Installed in 2026 – 4,907 MW
- To Be Installed in 2027 – 5,750 MW
- To Be Installed in 2028 – 480 MW
- To Be Installed in 2029 – 1,363 MW
The UK should be installing 13,735 MW, which would.
- Lift total offshore wind capacity to 29.8 GW.
- This is an 86 % increase in capacity from July 2025.
- As I write this, we are using 29.3 GW.
- We would be adding 11.6 % of the global additions for 2025-2029, which isn’t bad for such a small country.
All this wind will need to be backed up, for when the wind doesn’t blow.
So I asked Google AI how much electricity storage we will have by 2029 and got this AI Overview.
In 2029, the UK is expected to have a significant amount of battery energy storage capacity, with estimates ranging from 27 to 29 GW, according to the House of Commons Library and Cornwall Insight. This capacity is crucial for supporting the UK’s transition to a clean energy system and ensuring a stable electricity supply.
Obviously, Google AI isn’t that intelligent, as it made the mistake made by many electricity storage companies of just giving the output of the battery, as it sounds better, rather than both the output and the storage capacity.
Consider.
- Most Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) can provide two hours of output.
- Highview Power’s big batteries are 200 MW/2.5 GWh, so will provide 12.5 hours of output.
If I assume that the average storage is just two hours, that means the available storage will be at least 54 GWh.
Given that we also had 16 GW of solar power in June 2024 and if this increases at a similar rate to offshore wind power, it will certainly be able to help fill the energy storage, I think we’ll have enough renewable energy to play a big part in the next election.
About The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)
I asked Google AI for a summary about GWEC and got this AI Overview.
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has its global headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal. Additionally, they have offices in Brussels, Belgium; Singapore; and London, UK.
GWEC’s presence is not limited to these locations, as they have a global network of experts working across different continents, according to the organization’s website. Their flagship report, the Global Wind Report, is launched annually in London. For example, the 2025 report launch took place in London.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t mention an office in the United States.
The report, which forms the basis of this post, can be downloaded from the GWEC web site.
Reform Declares War On County’s Net-Zero Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Reform UK leaders in Lincolnshire say they have “declared war” on green energy projects.
These three paragraphs outline their policies.
Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice, Greater Lincolnshire’s mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns and Councillor Sean Matthews, who leads the county council, launched a campaign at a press conference held in Boston earlier.
They said they opposed wind and solar farms and battery storage facilities, with Tice adding: “It is an absolute outrage what the madness of net stupid zero is doing to our county, as well as to our country.”
The government said green energy was vital in delivering energy security, while Labour MP Melanie Onn argued Reform’s stance posed a risk to thousands of jobs.
It should be noted that Lincolnshire has a lot of projects, that will be concerned with renewable energy.
Lincolnshire is one of the UK counties, with the highest level of wind power.
- There are over 7 GW of wind farms, that already do or will land their electricity in the county including 5.5 GW from the world’s largest offshore wind farm; Hornsea.
- There is approaching 300 MW of onshore wind in the county, which includes England’s largest onshore wind farm at Keadby, which is 68 MW.
I asked Google how much solar there was in the county and I got this AI Overview.
Lincolnshire has a significant amount of solar power capacity, with several large solar farms and numerous smaller installations. The county is a major location for solar energy development, with some projects aiming to power tens or even hundreds of thousands of homes.
In the real world of wind and solar energy, all of this renewable energy will need backup and the county has it in hundreds of megawatts.
- Keadby One is a 732 MW gas-fired power station owned by SSE Thermal.
- Keadby Two is a 849 MW gas-fired power station owned by SSE Thermal.
- Keadby Three will be a 910 gas-fired power station, fitted with carbon capture, that is being developed by SSE Thermal.
- Keadby Next Generation Power Station is a 1800 MW hydrogen-powered power station, that is being developed by Equinor and SSE Thermal. I wrote about it in Consultation On Plans For Keadby Hydrogen Power Station To Begin and it will generate 900 MW of zero-carbon electricity.
Now that it what I call backup.
Conclusion
Lincolnshire generates a lot of renewable energy and Reform UK want to throw it all away.
As I showed in US Gov’t Withdraws All Offshore Wind Energy Areas, Trump’s policies against renewable energy and wind in particular are not good for investment and employment.
We don’t want Trump’s policies in the UK.
And especially in Lincolnshire, where all this energy can attract jobs.
US Gov’t Withdraws All Offshore Wind Energy Areas
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has rescinded and de-designated all Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) on the US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The WEAs are areas in the US federal waters that BOEM previously identified as suitable for wind energy development and, following a multi-stage process, designated Wind Energy Areas for which a lease sale may be proposed.
This first paragraph adds more details.
“By rescinding WEAs, BOEM is ending the federal practice of designating large areas of the OCS for speculative wind development, and is de-designating over 3.5 million acres of unleased federal waters previously targeted for offshore wind development across the Gulf of America, Gulf of Maine, the New York Bight, California, Oregon, and the Central Atlantic”, the US agency said on 30 July.
Trump may not be able to do anything about windmills in Scotland, but he has certainly killed them off in the seas around the United States.
The last paragraph of the article contains the words of Stephanie Francoeur, SVP of Communications & External Affairs at Oceantic Network, who are a US offshore renewable energy industry organisation.
“This will result in even higher energy costs, increased blackouts, job loss, and billions of dollars in stranded investments, further delaying shovel-ready projects supported by a domestic heavy manufacturing supply chain renaissance that spans 40 states. Crippling affordable and reliable wind energy makes no economic sense and undermines the administration’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy. We urge the Department to adopt policies which put all sources of American energy on an even playing field.”
Donald! The lady has warned you! And she seems angry!
Could This Decision Be Beneficial To Other Wind Projects Around The World?
I wouldn’t be surprised, as there will now be a lot of quality resources and assets in the United States, that will be looking for work.
Scotland’s 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm Fully Operational
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm has become fully operational, with Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney visiting Eyemouth on 24 July to mark the launch of the country’s newest offshore wind project.
These first three paragraphs give more details.
Located 15.5 kilometres off the coast of Fife, NnG is co-owned by EDF power solutions UK and Ireland and ESB. The wind farm’s 54 turbines are now generating up to 450 MW of clean electricity, which is enough to power around 375,000 homes and will offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, according to the developer.
The installation of Siemens Gamesa 8 MW turbines was completed in April 2025, while the project produced its first power in October 2024.
Electricity generated by Neart na Gaoithe is transmitted via the subsea export cable from the offshore substation to Thorntonloch Beach, where the underground onshore export cable feeds it to the national grid.
This Google Map shows the mouth of the Firth of Forth.
Note.
- The red arrow indicates Torness power station.
- The Fife Coast is at the top of the map.
- The most Easterly island is the Isle of May.
- The wind farm is located 15.5 kilometres off the Fife Coast.
This second Google Map shows the Fife Coast and the Isle of May.
Note.
- The red arrow indicates Fife Ness lighthouse.
- The island in the South-East corner of the map is the Isle of May.
- Leven station is in the South-West corner of the map, which I described in Leven Station – 15th May 2025.
From this map, I estimated that Fife Ness lighthouse and the Isle of May are around ten kilometres apart.
This third Google Map shows Torness nuclear power station on the other side of the Firth of Forth.
Note.
- Torness nuclear powerstation is indicated by the red arrow.
- The A1 road between Edinburgh and the South crossing the map diagonally.
- The East Coast Main Line following a similar route to the A1.
- The beach below the power station is Tgortonlock, where the cable from Neart na Gaoithe wind farm comes ashore.
Consider.
- Torness nuclear powerstation was built in 1988.
- It has a capacity of 1290 MW.
- Neart na Gaoithe wind farm has a capacity of 450 MW.
This is said in the Wikipedia entry for the Torness nuclear powerstation about its closure.
In December 2024, in response to concerns over energy security following delays to the opening of Hinkley Point C, EDF announced that the life of Torness would be extended two years until March 2030.
In January 2025, EDF stated that “their ambition is to generate beyond these dates [of March 2030], subject to plant inspections and regulatory oversight”
It looks like more power is needed at Torness to cover the closure of the nuclear powerstation.
I asked Google to give me an AI Overview of what wind farms will connect to the grid at Torness and I was given this answer.
Several wind farms are planned to connect to the grid near Torness, with the largest being the Berwick Bank Wind Farm. This offshore wind farm, located 40km off the coast, will connect to the National Grid at Branxton, near Torness. Another project, Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1), will also connect to the grid near Torness, specifically at the Torness substation, and then link to Hawthorn Pit in County Durham. Additionally, the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm is also being developed in the area.
As Berwick Bank wind farm and EGL1 have capacities of 4.1 and 2 GW respectively, I am fairly sure that Torness can be safely decommissioned.
Centrica Really Can’t Lose At Sizewell
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Centrica’s £1.3 billion investment in Sizewell C guarantees substantial returns, even with cost overruns.
These two-and-a-half paragraphs explain the funding.
Now we know what Ed Miliband means by his “golden age of nuclear” — golden for the companies putting their money into Sizewell C. Yes, reactor projects have a habit of blowing up private investors. But maybe not this one. It looks more like an exercise in transferring risk to consumers and the taxpayer.
Sure, nobody builds a £38 billion nuke on a Suffolk flood plain without a frisson of danger. But the energy secretary and his Treasury chums have done their bit to make things as safe as possible for the companies putting in equity alongside the government’s 44.9 per cent stake: Canada’s La Caisse with 20 per cent, British Gas-owner Centrica (15 per cent), France’s EDF (12.5 per cent) and Amber Infrastructure (7.6 per cent).
For starters, nearly all the debt for the 3.2 gigawatt plant, three-quarters funded by loans, is coming from the state-backed National Wealth Fund. It’s bunging in up to £36.6 billion, with £5 billion more guaranteed by a French export credit agency.
It looks to me that between them the British and French governments are providing £41.5 billion of loans to build the £38 billion nuke.
These are my thoughts.
Hydrogen And Sizewell C
This page on the Sizewell C web site is entitled Hydrogen And Sizewell C.
Under a heading of Hydrogen Buses, this is said.
At Sizewell C, we are exploring how we can produce and use hydrogen in several ways. We are working with Wrightbus on a pilot scheme which, if successful, could see thousands of workers transported to and from site on hydrogen double decker buses. You can read more about the pilot scheme in our press release
Firstly, it could help lower emissions during construction of the power station. Secondly, once Sizewell C is operational, we hope to use some of the heat it generates (alongside electricity) to make hydrogen more efficiently.
This would appear to be a more general statement about hydrogen and that the following is planned.
- Hydrogen-powered buses will be used to bring workers to the site. A press release on the Sizewell C web site, talks about up to 150 buses. That would probably be enough buses for all of Suffolk.
- Hydrogen-powered construction equipment will be used in the building of the power station.
- It also talks about using the excess heat from the power station to make hydrogen more efficiently. I talk about this process in Westinghouse And Bloom Energy To Team Up For Pink Hydrogen.
This is a substantial investment in hydrogen.
Centrica And Electricity From Sizewell C
The article in The Times, also says this.
Even so, there’s a fair bit of protection for the likes of Centrica, which has also agreed a 20-year offtake deal for its share of Sizewell’s electricity. The price of that is not yet known.
Nothing is said in the article about the size of Centrica’s electricity offtake.
- If they get 15 % of Sizewell C, that would by 480 MW.
- If they get 15 % of Sizewell B + C, that would by 660 MW.
If they use their share to generate hydrogen, Suffolk would have a massive hydrogen hub.
To power the buses and construction of Sizewell C, Sizewell B could be used to provide electricity to create the hydrogen.
How Would The Hydrogen Be Produced?
Centrica, along with other companies, who include Hyundai and Kia, are backers of a company in Hull called HiiROC, who use a process called Thermal Plasma Electrolysis to generate hydrogen.
On their web site, they have this sub-heading.
A Transformational New Process For Affordable Clean Hydrogen
The web site also describes the process as scalable from small modular units up to industrial scale. It also says this about the costs of the system: As cheap as SMR without needing CCUS; a fraction of the energy/cost of water electrolysis.
If HiiROC have achieved their objective of scalability, then Centrica could grow their electrolyser to meet demand.
How Would The Hydrogen Be Distributed?
Consider.
- Currently, the Sizewell site has both road and rail access.
- I can still see in my mind from the 1960s, ICI’s specialist articulated Foden trucks lined up in the yard at Runcorn, taking on their cargoes of hydrogen for delivery all over the country.
- As that factory is still producing hydrogen and I can’t remember any accidents in the last sixty years, I am fairly sure that a range of suitable hydrogen trucks could be developed to deliver hydrogen by road.
- The road network to the Siewell site is being updated to ensure smooth delivery of workers and materials.
- The rail access to the Sizewell site is also being improved, for the delivery of bulk materials.
I believe there will be no problems delivering hydrogen from the Sizewell site.
I also believe that there could be scope for a special-purpose self-propelled hydrogen tanker train, which could both distribute and supply the hydrogen to the vehicles, locomotives and equipment that will be using it.
Where Will The Hydrogen Be Used?
I have lived a large part of my life in Suffolk and know the county well.
In my childhood, there was quite a lot of heavy industry, but now that has all gone and employment is based on agriculture, the Port of Felixstowe and service industries.
I can see hydrogen being used in the following industries.
Transport
Buses and heavy trucks would be powered by hydrogen.
The ports in the East of England support a large number of heavy trucks.
Large Construction Projects
Sizewell C is not the only large construction project in the East of England, that is aiming to use low-carbon construction involving hydrogen. In Gallagher Group Host Hydrogen Fuel Trial At Hermitage Quarry, I talked about a hydrogen fuel trial for the Lower Thames Crossing, that involved JCB and Ryse Hydrogen.
Hydrogen for the Lower Thames Crossing could be delivered from Sizewell by truck, down the A12.
Rail
We may not ever see hydrogen-powered passenger trains in this country, but I do believe that we could see hydrogen-powered freight locomotives.
Consider.
- The latest electro-diesel Class 99 locomotives from Stadler have a Cummins diesel engine.
- The diesel engine is used, when there is no electrification.
- Cummins have developed the technology, that allows them to convert their latest diesel engines to hydrogen or natural gas power, by changing the cylinder head and the fuel system.
- Access to the Port of Felixstowe and London Gateway needs a locomotive with a self-powered capability for the last few miles of the route.
A Class 99 locomotive converted to hydrogen would be able to run with out emitting any carbon dioxide from Felixstowe or London Gateway to Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Ports
Ports have three main uses for hydrogen.
- To power ground-handing equipment, to create a pollution-free atmosphere for port workers.
- To fuel ships of all sizes from the humblest work-boat to the largest container ships.
- There may need to be fuel for hydrogen-powered rail locomotives in the future.
There are seven ports with excellent road and/or rail connections to the Sizewell site; Felixstowe, Great Yarmouth, Harwich, Ipswich, London Gateway, Lowestoft and Tilbury.
The proposed Freeport East is also developing their own green hydrogen hub, which is described on this page on the Freeport East web site.
Airports
Airports have two main uses for hydrogen.
- To power ground-handing equipment, to create a pollution-free atmosphere for airport workers.
- In the future, there is likely to be hydrogen-powered aircraft.
There are three airports with excellent road and/or rail connections to the Sizewell site; Norwich, Southend and Stansted.
Agriculture And The Rural Economy
Agriculture and the rural economy would be difficult to decarbonise.
Consider.
- Currently, most farms would use diesel power for tractors and agricultural equipment, which is delivered by truck.
- Many rural properties are heated by propane or fuel oil, which is delivered by truck.
- Some high-energy rural businesses like blacksmiths rely on propane, which is delivered by truck.
- Electrification could be possible for some applications, but ploughing the heavy land of Suffolk, with the added weight of a battery on the tractor, would probably be a mathematical impossibility.
- JCB are developing hydrogen-powered construction equipment and already make tractors.
- Hydrogen could be delivered by truck to farms and rural properties.
- Many boilers can be converted from propoane to run on hydrogen.
I feel, that hydrogen could be the ideal fuel to decarbonise agriculture and the rural economy.
I cover this application in detail in Developing A Rural Hydrogen Network.
Exports
Consider.
- Sizewell B and Sizewell C nuclear powerstations have a combined output of 4.4 GW.
- A rough calculation shows that there is a total of 7.2 GW of wind farms planned off the Suffolk coast.
- The East Anglian Array wind farm alone is said in Wikipedia to be planned to expand to 7.2 GW.
- The Sizewell site has a high capacity connection to the National Grid.
Nuclear plus wind should keep the lights on in the East of England.
Any excess electricity could be converted into hydrogen.
This Google Map shows the location of Sizewell B in relation to Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands.
The Sizewell site is indicated by the red arrow.
The offshore oil and gas industry has used technology like single buoy moorings and coastal tankers to collect offshore natural gas for decades.
I don’t see why coastal hydrogen tankers couldn’t export excess hydrogen to places around the North Sea, who need the fuel.
It should be born in mind, that Centrica have a good reputation in doing natural gas trading. This expertise would surely be useful in hydrogen trading.
Conclusion
I believe that a hydrogen hub developed at Sizewell makes sense and I also believe that Centrica have the skills and technology to make it work.
Three Applications Submitted In Malta’s First Offshore Wind Tender
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Maltese government has received three submissions in the pre-qualification period for the country’s first offshore wind tender, which will award a concession for a floating wind project with an installed capacity of around 300 MW.
These first two paragraphs add more detail.
The Ministry for the Environment, Energy, and Public Cleanliness said on 22 July that the submission phase for the Preliminary Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), launched in December 2024, had concluded, with three companies and consortia looking to participate in the process: Code Zero Consortium, led by SEP (Malta) Holding; Atlas Med Wind, a consortium led by Italy’s GreenIT SpA; and MCKEDRIK Sole Member, a sole applicant based in Greece.
In December last year, Malta opened the PQQ period, seeking to pre-qualify potential developers who will then be invited to participate in the next stage(s) of the tender to build Malta’s first floating wind farm. The project is planned to have an installed capacity of between 280 MW and 320 MW
Note.
- Despite being Malta’s first offshore wind farm, it will be a floating wind farm.
- It is a medium-sized wind farm, which will probably give the Maltese chances to supply some services.
- The consortia seem to have some local involvement.
Malta appears to be taking a sensible route.
I asked Google AI, what was Malta’s electricity generating capacity and got this reply.
Malta’s total electricity generation capacity is approximately 0.83 million kilowatts, according to TheGlobalEconomy.com. This value represents the latest data from 2023. The majority of this capacity comes from conventional power plants, with a smaller but growing contribution from renewable sources.
As 0.83 million kilowatts is 830 MW, these offshore wind farms could replace up to 36 % of Malta’s current generating capacity.
From my experience of the island Malta is not a bad place to live, so recruiting the specialist engineers, that are needed shouldn’t be a problem.
I can also see other small countries following a similar route to Malta.
Nigel Farage Speech: Persistent Offenders Would Face Life Sentences
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The Reform UK leader pledged more prison spaces, deportation of criminals and zero-tolerance policing as part of a six-week Lawless Britain campaign drive.
These three paragraphs give more detail about what criminals can expect and how much it will cost.
Every shoplifter would be prosecuted and stop and search powers used to “saturation point” under Nigel Farage’s pledge to make Reform UK the “toughest party on law and order this country has ever seen”.
He said that a Reform government would crack down on prolific offending by imposing life sentences on those who commit three or more offences.
The Reform leader set out plans to spend £17.4 billion to cut crime by half in the first five years if the party wins the next general election — an annual cost of £3.5 billion.
At least hanging and flogging aren’t mentioned. But he does suggest sending one of our worst child murderers to El Salvador and that Britain would leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
This paragraph says how he will pay for this law and order policy.
Farage said Reform would pay for the £17.4 billion law and order crackdown by ditching HS2 and net zero policies — money which has also been pledged for other policies.
I have just done a little calculation about how much offshore wind power should be commissioned by January 2029, which will likely be before the expected 2029 General Election.
- In October 2023, there was 15,581 MW of operational offshore wind.
- Currently there are 10,842 MW under construction, that should be commissioned by January 2029.
- There is also 2,860 MW of smaller wind farms, which have yet to be started that should be commissioned by January 2029.
- That all totals up to 29, 285 MW or 29.3 GW.
- Another 12 GW of offshore wind is scheduled to be commissioned in 2029 and 2030.
Currently, as I write this we are generating 29.3 GW from all sources.
I asked Google AI how much solar energy we will have in January 2029 and got this answer.
In January 2029, the UK is projected to have a significant amount of solar energy capacity, with the government aiming for 45-47 GW of total solar power by 2030.
Let’s assume the sun only shine half the time and say 20 GW on average.
We’ll also have 4.4 GW from Hinckley Point C and Sizewell B, as all other nuclear will have been switched off.
I asked Google AI how much energy storage we’ll have by January 2029 and got this answer.
In January 2029, the UK is projected to have around 120 GWh of battery energy storage capacity, according to a European report. This is part of a broader goal to reach 400 GWh by 2029 for the EU-27, with the UK contributing significantly to this total.
If there’s say another Great Storm, the dozens of interconnectors between the UK and Europe should keep us all going.
It looks to me that by January 2029, we’ll be substantially on the way to being powered by renewables.
Most of the net zero money will have been spent and we’ll be almost at net zero.
Phase One of High Speed Two has a target date of 2030, and I suspect that the engineers working on the project will get trains running between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street stations before the General Election, just because if NF’s going to cancel the project, they might as well do their best to get him to lose the election.
So at best he might get a year’s savings from stopping High Speed Two, but an unfinished High Speed Two, will be a joke on NF and make him look a complete laughing stock!
RWE, Masdar Move Forward With 3 GW Dogger Bank South Offshore Wind Farms
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK’s Planning Inspectorate has concluded its six-month Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) examination period for the Dogger Bank South (DBS) offshore wind farms, being developed by RWE and Abu Dhabi’s Masdar.
These two introductory paragraphs add more details.
Since the start of the examination this January, the Planning Inspectorate has assessed the environmental, socio-economic, and technical attributes of the DBS projects against the UK’s standards for sustainable infrastructure development.
The Inspectorate plans to prepare and submit a detailed report with recommendations to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero within the next three months, and a consent decision is expected within the next six months.
The development of this wind farm moves on.
- The lease with the Crown Estate was signed in Jan 2023.
- In November 2023, Masdar took a 49 % stake as I reported in RWE Partners With Masdar For 3 GW Dogger Bank South Offshore Wind Projects.
But there is no completion date anywhere for the whole project, that I can find with Google.
If you type RWE offshore electrolysis into Google AI, you get this answer.
RWE is actively involved in several hydrogen projects utilizing offshore wind power for electrolysis, particularly in the Netherlands and Germany. These projects aim to produce green hydrogen, which is then used in various applications like industrial processes, transportation, and potentially for export. RWE is a major player in offshore wind and is leveraging this experience to advance hydrogen production.
Note.
- RWE are one of the largest, if not the largest electricity generator in the UK.
- In RWE Opens ‘Grimsby Hub’ For Offshore Wind Operations And Maintenance, I stated that RWE are developing almost 12 GW of offshore wind power around our shores.
So just as RWE are utilizing offshore wind power for electrolysis, particularly in the Netherlands and Germany, could they be also be planning to do the same in UK waters with the Dogger Bank South wind farm?
The hydrogen would be brought ashore in a pipeline.
There would be no need for any 3 GW overhead power lines marching across East Yorkshire and around the town of Beverley.
Two large hydrogen stores are being developed at Aldbrough and Rough in East Yorkshire.
H2ercules And AquaVentus
These are two massive German projects, that will end the country’s reliance on Russian gas and coal.
- H2ercules is a series of pipelines that will distribute the hydrogen in Southern Germany.
- AquaVentus will build a network of pipelines to bring 10.3 GW of green hydrogen from the North Sea to the German mainland for H2ercules to distribute.
Germany is embracing hydrogen in a big way.
- I introduce AquaVentus in AquaVentus, which I suggest you read.
- AquaVentus is being developed by RWE.
- AquaVentus connects to a German hydrogen network called H2ercules to actually distribute the hydrogen.
This video shows the structure of AquaVentus.
I clipped this map from the video.
Note.
- The thick white line running North-West/South-East is the spine of AquaVentus, that will deliver hydrogen to Germany.
- There is a link to Esbjerg in Denmark, that is marked DK.
- There appears to be an undeveloped link to Norway, which goes North,
- There appears to be an undeveloped link to Peterhead in Scotland, that is marked UK.
- There appears to be a link to just North of the Humber in England, that is marked UK.
- Just North of the Humber are the two massive gas storage sites of Aldbrough owned by SSE and Rough owned by Centrica.
- Aldbrough and Rough gas storage sites are being converted into two of the largest hydrogen storage sites in the world!
- There appear to be small ships sailing up and down the East Coast of the UK. Are these small coastal tankers, that are distributing the hydrogen to where it is needed?
When it is completed, AquaVentus will be a very comprehensive hydrogen network.
I believe that offshore electrolysers could be built in the area of the Hornsea 4, Dogger Bank South and other wind farms and the hydrogen generated would be taken by AquaVentus to either Germany or the UK.
- Both countries get the hydrogen they need.
- Excess hydrogen would be stored in Aldbrough and Rough.
- British Steel at Scunthorpe gets decarbonised.
- A 1.8 GW hydrogen-fired powerstation at Keadby gets the hydrogen it needs to backup the wind farms.
Germany and the UK get security in the supply of hydrogen.
RWE Opens ‘Grimsby Hub’ For Offshore Wind Operations And Maintenance
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
RWE officially opened its ‘Grimsby Hub’ offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) facility in the UK on 9 July. From the new O&M base, located at Associated British Ports’ (ABP) Port of Grimsby, RWE’s teams will maintain and operate the Triton Knoll and Sofia offshore wind farms.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The Grimsby Hub also houses RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room (CCR), which has been set up to provide 24/7 monitoring of the company’s UK offshore wind farms and can provide services such as marine coordination, turbine operations, alarm management, high voltage monitoring and Emergency Response services with a team of twelve operatives, the developer says.
The O&M facility is already employing over 90 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs), according to RWE, and is expected to employ around 140 RWE staff by 2027, as well as create approximately 60 new locally sourced jobs through the development of the CCR and ongoing offshore operations.
Note.
- Does RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room control all their UK offshore wind farms?
- I have added them all up and there are almost 12 GW around our shores.
- I’ve read somewhere, that RWE are the UK’s largest power generator. From these figures, that would not surprise me.
This Google Map shows the location of RWE’s facilities in Grimsby.
Note.
- The bright red arrow at the top of the map indicates RWE Generation UK in Grimsby Docks.
- There is another RWE location to the right of the bright red arrow.
- There is a line of stations along the coast, which from left-to-right are Stallingborough, Healing, Great Coates, Grimsby Town, Grimsby Docks, New Clee and Cleethorpes.
- Cleethorpes is not shown on the map.
- Doncaster and Cleethorpes are 52.1 mile apart, which is within the range of a battery-electric Hitachi and other trains.
- Charging would be at Doncaster, which is fully electrified and at Cleethorpes, by a short length of electrification.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the layout of and the railways around Grimsby Dock.
Note.
- Cleethorpes station is indicated by the blue arrow, in the South-East corner of the map.
- Cleethorpes station has four platforms, but no electrification.
- Grimsby Docks are to the North of the railway to Cleethorpes.
- This Wikipedia entry for Cleethorpes station, shows other railways and light railways served the area. Some were even electric.
These are a few of my thoughts on the development of railways between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.
RWE Will Be A Large Driver Of Employment In Grimsby
Earlier I wrote.
- Does RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room control all their UK offshore wind farms?
- I have added them all up and there are almost 12 GW around our shores.
- I’ve read somewhere, that RWE are the UK’s largest power generator. From these figures, that would not surprise me.
It’s a long time, since I’ve added resources to a large project, so I asked Google AI, “How many people are needed to support a 1 GW offshore wind farm in the UK?”, and received this answer.
Direct & Indirect Support: For a large-scale project, this often breaks down into approximately 100–150 direct, permanent, high-skilled roles (technicians, engineers, management) and hundreds more in indirect, contracted, or supply chain roles (vessel crews, port operations, logistics).
Industry Average: Studies suggest that for operations and maintenance (O&M), around 50–100 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs are generated per GW of installed capacity in terms of direct, permanent staff.
Key Takeaways for a 1 GW Farm:
- Direct Technicians/Operators: ~100–200+ (working on-site, turbines, or in control rooms).
- O&M Support Services: ~300–400+ (vessel operators, port logistics, supply chain).
- Total Operations Personnel: 300–600+ people.
Google AI appeared to have borrowed the figure from Ørsted and Hornsea 1 and 2.
So if it’s correct, there will be a total of 7,200 personnel supporting RWE’s wind farms in the UK. Even if only a third were employed in Grimsby, that is still a lot of people to accommodate and who will need to travel to work.
I also think a lot of personnel will come in by train, as the station is close to RWE’s locations.
Will Grimsby Have An Aberdeen-Sized Office-Shortage Problem?
One of the biggest problems, I was always hearing in the 1970s, was the shortage of offices in Aberdeen for the use of the oilmen.
In RWE Goes For An Additional 10 GW Of Offshore Wind In UK Waters In 2030, I talked about RWE’s plans for the future and published this table of new wind farms.
- Sofia – 1,400 MW
- Norfolk Boreas – 1380 MW
- Norfolk Vanguard East – 1380 MW
- Norfolk Vanguard West – 1380 MW
- Dogger Bank South – 3000 MW
- Awel y Môr – 500 MW
- Five Estuaries – 353 MW
- North Falls – 504 MW
Note.
- Sofia is nearly complete.
- Only the three Norfolk and the Dogger Bank South wind farms are on the East side of England and suitable to be serviced from Grimsby., but they still total 7,140 MW.
Has Grimsby got the office-space for all the people needed?
Could The Cleethorpes And Liverpool Lime Street Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?
The various sections of this route are as follows.
- Cleethorpes and Doncaster – No Electrification – 52.1 miles
- Doncaster and Meadowhall – No Electrification – 15.2 miles
- Meadowhall and Sheffield – No Electrification – 3.4 miles
- Sheffield and Dore & Totley – No Electrification – 4.2 miles
- Dore & Totley and Hazel Grove – No Electrification – 29.2 miles
- Hazel Grove and Stockport – Electrification – 3.3 miles
- Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly – Electrification – 5.9 miles
- Manchester Piccadilly and Deansgate – Electrification – 0.8 miles
- Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway -Not Electrified – 28.2 miles
- Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street – Electrified – 5.7 miles
Adding the sections together gives.
- Cleethorpes and Hazel Grove – No Electrification – 104.1 miles
- Hazel Grove and Deansgate – Electrification – 10 miles
- Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway -Not Electrified – 28.2 miles
- Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street – Electrified – 5.7 miles
Note.
- To cover the 104.1 miles to Hazel Grove battery-electric trains would probably need to leave Cleethorpes with full batteries.
- Doncaster is a fully-electrified station and passing trains may be able to have a quick top-up.
- In South Yorkshire Now Has Better North-South Connections, I calculated that Doncaster is a very busy station with 173 express trains per day calling at the station or one every 8.5 minutes.
- Will trains be able to stop for a long period to charge batteries?
- It may be prudent to electrify between Meadowhall and Sheffield, under the Midland Mainline Electrification.
- Sheffield and Dore & Totley is shown that it will be electrified, under the Midland Mainline Electrification.
- Do we really want to have electrification marching along the Hope Valley Line?
- I believe that hydrogen-hybrid locomotives will be a better solution for freight trains on scenic lines like the Hope Valley, as they are zero-carbon, powerful and with a range comparable to diesel.
I believe CAF, Hitachi and Siemens have off the shelf rolling stock and factories in this country, who could build trains for the Cleethorpes and Liverpool Lime Street route.
How Would You Charge Battery-Electric Trains At Cleethorpes?
This picture shows Cleethorpes station
Note.
- The four long platforms without electrification.
- The platforms have recently been refurbished.
- The train in Platform 2 is a TransPennine Express Class 185 Siemens Desiro diesel train.
The simplest way to electrify the station would be to put up enough 25 KVAC overhead wires, so that battery-electric trains needing a charge could put up a pantograph and have a refreshing drink.
In Technology Behind Siemens Mobility’s British Battery Trains Hits The Tracks, I wrote about Siemens Rail Charging Converter.
This is a visualisation of a Siemens Rail Charging Converter in action.
Note.
- The track is electrified with standard 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The train is a standard Siemens electric or battery-electric train.
- Siemens Rail Charging Converter, which is the shed in the compound on the left is providing the electricity to energise the catenary.
- I suspect, it could power third rail electrification, if the Office of Rail and Road ever allowed it to be still installed.
- The Siemens Rail Charging Converter does have one piece of magic in the shed. I suspect it uses a battery or a large capacitor to help power the electrification, as it can be powered from any typical domestic grid supply.
- I also wonder, if it has safety devices that cut the power outside the shed if track workers or intruders are detected, where they shouldn’t be?
- It could even cut the power, when trains are not running to save power and increase safety.
This looks to me, that a Siemens Rail Charging Converter could be a superb example of out-of-the-box thinking.
Could The Cleethorpes And Barton-on-Humber Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?
This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways of North-East Lincolnshire.
Note.
- Cleethorpes is in the South-East Corner of the map.
- Barton-on-Humber is in the North-West corner of the map and marked by a blue-arrow.
- Stations from South to North would be New Clee, Grimsby Docks, Grimsby Town, Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough, Habrough, Ulceby, Thornton Abbey, Goxhill, New Holland and Barrow Haven.
- The line is double track.
- Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber is just 22.8 miles.
- A round trip would be under fifty miles, which would be well within range of a full-charge at one end.
- Service is one train per two hours (tp2h), which would only need a single train, shuttling between Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber.
- Two trains could provide an hourly service.
I would expect, that well-designed, solid and reliable German engineering could build a Siemens’ Rail Charging Connector that could charge four trains per hour (tph) at Cleethorpes station.
At present services are.
- TransPennineExpress – 1 tph to Liverpool Lime Street.
- East Midlands Railway – 1 tp2h to Barton-on-Humber
- East Midlands Railway – 1 tp2h to Matlock via Lincoln and Nottingham
- Northern Trains – 1 train per day (tpd) Sheffield via Brigg.
That is probably only about two tph.
Could The Cleethorpes And Sheffield Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?
This is a description of the current Cleethorpes and Sheffield service.
- It is run by Northern Trains.
- The morning train leaves Sheffield at 09:54 and arrives in Cleethorpes at 11:40.
- The afternoon train leaves Cleethorpes at 13:20 and arrives in Sheffield at 15:10.
- The train is a Class 150 diesel train, which is a bit of a Joan Collins of a train – Of a certain age, but still scrubs up extremely well!
- Intermediate stations are Worksop, Retford, Gainsborough Central, Kirton Lindsey, Brigg, Barnetby and Grimsby Town
- The route length is 71.6 miles
- Trains take about 45-50 minutes.
It is also a parliamentary train.
The Wikipedia entry for parliamentary train gives this description of the Cleethorpes and Sheffield service.
Via Kirton Lindsey & Brigg. Became a parliamentary service when weekday services were withdrawn in 1993. Regular trains have operated between Gainsborough and Sheffield for most timetable periods since. Suspended January 2022 by Northern, who cited COVID-19 and staffing issues , but the service was reinstated in December 2022. Changed in May 2023 to be one return journey on weekdays only.
In the 1950s and 1960s I lived in Felixstowe part of the time and in the 1970s and 1980s I lived near Woodbridge and I observed first hand the development of the Port of Felixstowe and the effects it had on the surrounding countryside.
The development of the Port of Felixstowe, has brought the following.
- Improved roads and railways.
- Ipswich is now an hour from London by train.
- Ipswich is now a University town.
- New housing and other developments, both in Ipswich and Felixstowe and the surrounding countryside.
- Employment also has increased considerably, both in the Port and in surrounding towns.
- Ipswich’s football team is very much respected all over Europe and has won the English top division, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup.
When you consider the jobs that RWE could create in the Port of Grimsby, I believe that this could have similar effects in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, as the Port of Felixstowe had in East Suffolk.
Already, the following are being talked about.
- A direct rail link between Cleethorpes and Grimsby to London.
- Battery-electric trains between Cleethorpes and Grimsby and Doncaster, Manchester and Liverpool Lime Street.
I believe that an improved rail link between Cleethorpes and Sheffield could be the catalyst for much needed housing along the route, which would be to the benefit of Cleethorpres, Grimsby, Sheffield and all the intermediate towns and villages on the route.
and the affects this will have on the countryside around the town, I believe that a strong case can be made out for a more frequent service between Cleethorpes and Sheffield.
GE Vernova To Build Up To 18 MW Offshore Wind Test Turbine In Norway
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has granted GE Vernova’s subsidiary Georgine Wind permission to build and operate an 18 MW test turbine in Gulen municipality.
These first three paragraphs add more detail.
The project, which is part of a test programme to advance offshore wind technology, will feature an up to 18 MW turbine, with a maximum tip height of 275 metres and up to 250 metres in rotor diameter.
The turbine is expected to have an annual electricity production of 55 GWh, which corresponds to the annual energy consumption of approximately 2,750 Norwegian households.
The unit is planned to undergo testing for up to five years, after which it will remain on land and generate electricity for an additional 25 years.
Note.
- It is the largest wind turbine to be licensed in Norway.
- The turbine will be erected atSløvåg, which is a few miles North of Bergen.
- It is the first wind power plant in Norway to be licensed within an existing industrial area.
- Research will be done to see how the giant turbine interacts with existing industry.
- I can see a lot of research being done during the 25-year lifetime of the turbine to the reactions of those living and working near the turbine.
I do feel that as GE are an American company with worldwide interests, under normal political circumstances, this turbine would have been erected at a site in the United States.
But with Trump in charge and his opposition to renewable energy, it may be that the Norwegian tax regime makes the installation in Norway, a better financial proposition.
On the other hand, the Norwegians may be looking at decarbonising remote rural areas with single large turbines.
The Anonymous Widower 