BRUSSELS, BELGIUM. There is need for an action plan to allow development of offshore wind energy, says the energy commissioner for the European Union.

“Offshore wind energy has promising prospects; however, this emerging technology faces new and additional barriers, especially as new windfarms develop further from the shore and stretch over a larger geographical area in the maritime area,” Andris Piebalgs told the recent European Wind Energy Conference. Offshore wind faces the same challenges as onshore wind energy (slow reinforcement and extension of the grid, need for improved grid management tools to allow large-scale integration of wind, delays in authorisation procedures, unfair grid integration conditions, etc) but “it also faces additional challenges.”

“A maritime grid infrastructure is needed for the development of offshore wind energy; without it, no offshore windfarms will be built,” he added. “As this is not yet in place, it must be developed fairly quickly and a central question is how it should be financed.”

“Impact of offshore wind energy on the local environment, as well as competition for space with other marine users, creates the need for improved maritime spatial planning mechanisms, as well as effective consenting procedures,” he explained. “Supply chain issues resulting from lack of skilled personnel, shortage of auxiliary services and competition from a booming onshore market globally need to be resolved.”

Other specific challenges relate to offshore technology performance, and operation and maintenance risks need to be reduced, as well as costs, and the EU proposes to adopt an action plan by the end of this year. The plan should aim for ‘quality rather than quantity’ and identify key areas where the EU can provide added-value in facilitating the development of offshore wind, he explained.

“It is clear that offshore wind energy will not develop without additional grid infrastructure in the marine area,” and Piebalgs mentioned the industry's plans for the creation of a pan-European sub-sea grid called SUPERGRID which potentially could incorporate large quantities of offshore wind into the European market.

“In the fight against climate change, renewable energy sources are going to play a key role,” he explained. Reaching the 20% target for EU by 2020 “will require a substantial contribution from wind energy.”

“Of all renewable energy technologies, wind energy has delivered the most promising results in the EU for a number of years now,” with 8,500 MW of new capacity installed last year to boost the continent’s total to 57,000 MW, representing 4% of EU demand compared with 1% in 2000. “Wind energy is now increasing more than any other power technology in Europe,” he noted.

“We are living in exciting times, as far as renewables are concerned,” he added. The renewable energy package adopted by the Commission in January will provide a framework to promote wind and other renewables, and the 2020 commitments are “an essential step” to reducing global GHG emissions by 50% below 1990 levels by 2050. “It is clear that the 20% RES target for EU by 2020 will require a substantial contribution from wind energy” and the Renewable Energy Roadmap predicts that a 20% share could be achieved with a 34% share of green power, including a 12% share of wind of which one-third could come from offshore turbines.

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