A report by the Global Wind Energy Council's (GWEC) Floating Offshore Wind Taskforce contains a series of recommendations which could see 34 gigawatts (GW) of floating wind installed in UK waters by 2040 if “decisive action” is taken by the government. Ministers have so far set a target to install just 5GW by 2030, despite plans to fully decarbonise electricity generation by 2035.
The UK currently has the biggest project pipeline in the world of 37GW of floating wind technology, around one-fifth of the global pipeline. Floating wind farms can be built in deeper waters, further from the coast, where wind speeds are even higher.
To enable the UK to scale up, the report recommends developing ports as soon as possible by investing £4bn to ensure they are ready for mass floating wind deployment by the end of this decade.
Port upgrades will be needed to enable turbines with hub heights taller than 150 metres and their giant floating bases to be manufactured...