EuropeOffshorePorts and LogisticsRenewables

Nearly $5bn needed for ports to scale up UK floating wind

Up to 11 ports around the UK will need to be transformed as fast as possible into new industrial hubs to enable the roll-out of floating offshore wind at scale, according to a new report by the Floating Wind Offshore Wind Taskforce.

The report projected 34 GW of floating wind installed in UK waters by 2040 if the government “takes swift and decisive action”. At present, ministers have set a target of 5 GW by 2030.

The UK is said to have the biggest floating wind project pipeline in the world at 37 GW and in order to scale up, the report recommended investing £4bn ($4.85bn) in ports to ensure they are ready for mass deployment by the end of this decade. 

The initial focus would be on Scottish ports and the Celtic Sea where floating projects are currently being planned. The report highlighted a minimum of three to five ports will be needed in Scotland to install turbines onto the floating bases, with a further two ports needed to service the Celtic Sea sector. Additionally, at least four other UK ports will need to be revitalised for manufacturing massive steel and concrete components for floating foundations. 

The report said more ships and bigger cranes will also be required in the construction process, creating further industrial opportunities – particularly as there is strong international competition for these among both floating and fixed-foundation offshore wind developers.

It also noted that implementing the recommendations required to reach 34 GW of floating wind by 2040 will generate £26.6bn in additional GVA (total economic activity) in the UK, which at today’s value is about £18bn. It calculates that every £1 invested in UK port facilities would generate up to £4.30 of added value to the UK economy, and by 2040, the floating offshore wind industry would support 45,000 jobs across the UK.

The Taskforce includes the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments, the Northern Ireland Executive, major offshore wind and port developers, The Crown Estate, Crown Estate Scotland, RenewableUK, Scottish Renewables, the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and other key stakeholders.

RenewableUK’s emerging technologies policy analyst Laurie Heyworth, who worked on the report with engineering consultants Royal HaskoningDHV, said: “At the moment there are no port facilities in this country which are fit for the mass deployment of floating wind, so we need to start revitalising them now as new industrial hubs, so that we’re ready for this new sector to take off at scale by 2030. The timeline is tight and we will only be able to deliver on our ambition if we take action promptly and decisively.

“Four-fifths of the world’s potential offshore wind resources is in deeper waters, so floating wind is a key technology which industry and government must ramp up now, so that we can maintain our global lead in the decades ahead.”

Adis Ajdin

Adis is an experienced news reporter with a background in finance, media and education. He has written across the spectrum of offshore energy and ocean industries for many years and is a member of International Federation of Journalists. Previously he had written for Navingo media group titles including Offshore Energy, Subsea World News and Marine Energy.
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