BRITANNIA WIND TO RULE THE SEAS

UK offshore wind to struggle with surge in projects
Karolin Schaps (w/Keiron Henderson), October 25, 2011 (Reuters)

"Britain's offshore wind industry will struggle to fulfill new orders in four years' time as the yearly growth in UK offshore wind farms is expected to double between 2015 and 2016, figures released by [RenewableUK] showed…Annual offshore wind deployment will rise to 1.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2012 and exceed 2.5 GW in 2016, after a forecast drop in activity in 2013-14 due to a lack of consented projects…

"…This (growth) would represent a major challenge for the supply chain, especially as the relatively slow years in 2013 and 2014 are unlikely to give the supply chain the confidence required to invest heavily…Nevertheless Britain is expected to remain a world leader in installed offshore wind capacity in five years' time and other growth markets in Europe should be seen as a benefit to the UK market as wind farm developers seek to diversify investment risk."

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"…Britain's Energy Secretary…[just extended] current levels of state subsidies by one year to 2015 and [reduced] previously set aid cuts for the subsequent years…Britain seeks to generate 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions…

"…[O]nshore wind farm development remains threatened by local opposition…Approvals for onshore wind farms have hit an all-time low of 42 percent across the UK and dropped as low as 26 percent in England…"