Page 58: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2019)

OFFSHORE WIND THE INSTALLATION FLEET

Bigger, Bolder, Heavier

Europe’s offshore wind market is growing faster than anyone expected, posing a challenge for the existing installation ? eet.

By Elaine Maslin hile offshore wind is capacity. Last year, 2.4GW was added ing power into the grid in 2020/21, and when Germany’s EnBW and Denmark’s seen by many as a ma- and that’s expected to be how much will Belgium and Poland eying their poten- Ørsted made bids for German projects. turing market in Europe, be added per year over the next 10 years, tial. “A large part of it (cost reduction) is

Wwith the ? rst subsidy according to consultancy and analysts A huge focus has been reducing costs, attributed to a faster design cycle in tur- free offshore projects being planned, it’s Wood Mackenzie. which has happened – faster than any ex- bine evolution,” says Shashi Barla, se- not without its challenges. The UK, Germany and the Netherlands pected, especially in the last 2-3 years. nior analyst at Wood Mackenzie, with

In Europe, there is more than 18 giga- are the biggest markets, with France now Indeed, the ? rst zero subsidy bids were turbine manufacturers unveiling new, watts (GW) of installed offshore wind also moving in, with plans to start feed- made for offshore wind parks in 2017, larger systems faster. “12- to 14-mega-

Voltaire: The Voltaire is named after the French writer, historian and philosopher

François-Marie Arouet, known by his pseudonym Voltaire and as an icon of the European

Enlightenment of the 18th

Century.

Source: Jan De Nul 58 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • NOVEMBER 2019

MR #11 (59-65).indd 58 10/29/2019 11:28:47 AM