The sectoral covenant announced between the British Government and the industry will result in 30% of the electricity of the United Kingdom to originate from offshore wind energy in 2030. The agreement lays the foundations to provide a great impetus to the offshore wind capacity in the United Kingdom, according to information shared by the European Wind Industry Association, WindEurope.
The sectoral covenant will set the progress of offshore wind capacity to reach 30GW by 2030, compared to the current 8GW. Offshore wind power would then provide a third of the country’s electricity, meaning that the UK will produce more energy from renewable sources than from fossil fuels.
The covenant provides for tripling skilled jobs in the sector to 27,000, including 33% of women by 2030
The agreement also details the plans to triple the number of skilled jobs in the sector to 27,000, including a target of 33% of women by 2030. To this end, the agreement will encourage the industry to invest 250 million pounds (291 million euros) to boost the sector, even through a new alliance for the marine wind energy growth.
The UK Government also agreed to hold auctions of offshore wind energy every two years
The UK Government also agreed to hold offshore wind power auctions every two years with a 557 million pounds (648 million euros) support. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the United Kingdom (BEIS) expressed its wish to boost offshore wind energy as one of the main exports to the emerging offshore wind sectors worldwide, including a technical assistance program of 4 million pounds (4.6 million euros) to help countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan and the Philippines to gain a foothold in offshore wind power.
WindEurope Public Relations Director, Iván Pineda, said: “The Sectoral Covenant of the United Kingdom will give a huge boost to offshore wind, with a capacity that will almost quadruple in a decade. Offshore technology will become the backbone of the country’s electrical system, and will meet a third of its electricity needs by 2030. ” According to Pineda, this move will contribute to “consolidate the United Kingdom as the largest European market for offshore wind energy by year 2030, placing it in second place worldwide, only behind China”. Without overlooking, of course, that the agreement “will also stimulate an increase in employment,” Pineda said.
As explained by the head of Public Relations of the European Wind Association, ” United Kingdom´s model of providing bilateral Contracts for Differences (CFDs) and granting the responsibility of the connection to the grid to the developers is also proving to be successful”. For Pineda, the sectoral agreement is not only an example of the visibility it provides on future volumes of offshore wind energy, “it is also a benchmark for the collaboration model it offers, with the Government committing itself to the volumes and with the industry committing to finance the innovation required, so this model could and should be replicated in other territories,” concludes Pineda.
