GERMAN OFFSHORE WIND NEEDS WIRES

E.ON fires German offshore grid warning
James Quilter, 14 February 2012 (Windpower Monthly)

"E.ON has warned it will halt investment in offshore wind project unless grid operators speed up construction of transmission lines…[T]he head of E.ON's Climate and Renewables division said it and other wind developers would put the brakes on future offhshore development if the grid operators failed to act.

"…[He said grid operators have] underestimated the problems…[and] don't have sufficient financial incentives…[and] suppliers are struggling to manufacture the required cables…[and] there is a lack of regulatory coordination among the German authorities."

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"E.ON is currently building the 288MW Amrumbank project in the North Sea…and has two other offshore projects in the pipeline, the 700MW Baltic Wind Farm off Sweden and the 219MW Humber Gateway in the North Sea.

"…European grid operator Tennet [recently warned] that it might struggle to install further offshore connections to North Sea wind farms due to a shortage of cables and cash…The company said it has nine cable connections to German offshore wind farms currently under construction…[but further construction cannot be sustained] due to lack of skilled staff, shortages of materials and a lack of finance at Tennet and at supplier companies."