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Total Global offshore wind capacity ‘soars by almost 50% this year’
Nov 19, 2020

According to the latest report by the trade association RenewableUK the total number of global offshore wind projects which are operational, under construction, consented, in planning, or in development has soared by 47% since January.

Expanding offshore wind capacity 

RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Melanie Onn said “The global appetite to develop new offshore wind projects remains enormous, despite the pandemic this year, as this research proves. The UK and many other countries are counting on the rapid growth of the offshore wind sector to be a key driver in the worldwide green economic recovery.”

Global positions

RenewableUK’s report suggests the UK has kept its leading global position for offshore wind capacity with a total pipeline of 41.3 gigawatts – an increase of 12% since January. China has also expanded its number of offshore wind projects, climbing from fourth place into second. With China seeing an 80% increase in its pipeline from 14.5 to 26.1 gigawatts. Meanwhile, the US retained third place with a reported 10% growth. Brazil has also announced ten new offshore wind projects since the start of the year placing the country into fourth place. This is followed by Taiwan which recorded a 65% increase from 9.2 to 15.2 gigawatts. The global top ten for offshore wind capacity also includes the Netherlands with 11.4 gigawatts total offshore wind pipeline, Ireland and Poland with 9.1 gigawatts, and Vietnam with 8.6 gigawatts. Germany’s position has fallen from second to sixth place due to a 29% decrease in its pipeline.


RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Melanie Onn said, “The UK remains the biggest market for offshore wind in the world and our capacity is set to quadruple over the course of this decade following the Prime Minister’s landmark commitment to power every UK home with offshore wind by 2030.”

British Gas Business solutions 

Take advantage of the expanding offshore wind energy capacity by switching to our green business tariff. On our green tariff businesses receive electricity from renewable sources. Find out how your business can switch to a green energy plan and help create a more sustainable future for energy below.

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06 Jul, 2022
Balancing planet and profit during unprecedented market volatility
By Vander Caceres 14 Jun, 2022
Wholesale energy prices have experienced unprecedented levels of volatility since the end of summer 2021, with both day ahead/spot and future contracts surging to all-time highs. In the last couple of months, prices have decreased but still remain high compared to a year ago. This period of high energy prices is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (see next section). Energy prices have surged for a number of reasons: A global increase in gas demand following the ease or end of Covid-related restrictions throughout 2021. After the pandemic, economies across the world started to recover. Asian countries like China saw their imports of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) increase. This resulted in lower LNG shipments to the UK and Europe. On the supply side, the Covid-19 lockdowns pushed some maintenance work from 2020 into 2021 at a time when demand was recovering. In 2021, gas production hit a record low of 363TWh, 47TWh below the previous record low in 2013. Low production was the result of an extensive summer maintenance schedule which saw shutdowns at several major terminals, as well as the Forties Pipeline System which serves a significant proportion of UK gas and oil production. A lack of wind in the summer resulted in higher demand for conventional power. European gas storage in 2021 and Q1’22 remained far below previous years and it’s unclear how these are going to be replenished in the summer given the concerns around supply including the potential suspension of Russian gas flows due to sanctions. The 1,234km offshore Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was designed to double the flow of gas between Russia and Germany (and by extension the rest of Europe) has been abandoned following the invasion of Ukraine. Gas storage in the UK is extremely minimal with capacity at less than 2% of the UK’s annual demand, compared with 22% for other European countries. Whilst the UK is not heavily reliant on gas coming from Russia, it sources almost half it’s gas supply from Europe. Hence, wholesale gas and power prices in the UK are now subject to knock-on-effects from the conflict in Ukraine.
20 May, 2022
Amidst rising energy costs, digitalisation, growing pressure from stakeholders and increasing regulation, organisations may struggle to define their pathway to a low-carbon future. What can you do to protect your business’ net zero plans from the challenges of volatility? Disruption and volatility are putting organisations under pressure. Digitalisation and new technology developments continue to challenge existing business models. Its increasing dependence on energy and encouraging businesses to drive change to secure competitive advantage. And as customers, employees and shareholders look to engage with companies who understand the importance of decarbonisation, pressure is mounting to prioritise sustainability.
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