When it comes to emerging offshore wind markets, Taiwan, India and the U.S. have been in the spotlight over the last few years and especially in 2018. Nevertheless, a few new areas made the offshore wind map over the last year, beyond those already well known and ready for takeoff. 

Turkey

In June 2018, Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources announced that it would start accepting applications for the development of a 1,200MW offshore wind project. Interested offshore wind developers had until 23 October 2018 to submit their applications, and the General Directorate of Renewable Energy started reviewing them immediately after the closing of the application period. The Directorate said it would then inform applicants about the date and place of the tender. [Read more]

Brazil

Petrobras and Equinor signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September 2018, agreeing to jointly develop the offshore wind energy segment in Brazil. The Brazilian oil & gas major said it was looking into developing an offshore wind pilot project in Rio Grande do Norte state, expected to be up and running by 2022. [Read more]

Vietnam

In December 2018, UK offshore wind developer Enterprize Energy has revealed plans to build the 3.4GW Ke Ga offshore wind farm in Vietnam. The wind farm will be developed in 600MW phases. Société Générale will lead the financing of the project, with the World Bank also involved, the developer said. [Read more]

More room for offshore wind planned in existing markets

Offshore wind is not only expanding as new markets emerge globally, but also as the countries with existing offshore wind farms and those under development already eye earmarking further areas where offshore wind turbines could be installed.  

Norway

In August 2018, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Søviknes was reported as saying that two new areas for floating offshore wind would be added on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. [Read more]

Denmark

In July 2018, the Danish parliament unanimously voted for a new energy agreement which includes building three new offshore wind projects by 2030 with a total capacity of at least 2.4GW. As the plans include having the first new 800MW offshore wind farm up and running between 2024 and 2027, selection of the first site is now underway. In December 2018, Denmark narrowed down the list of areas for the first offshore wind farm to two possible locations: in the North Sea, close to Horns Rev 3 and Vesterhav Syd, or at the Kriegers Flak area in the Baltic Sea. [Read more]

UK

In May 2018, Crown Estate Scotland unveiled its proposals for leasing seabed for new offshore wind projects that would be built in Scotland’s waters from the late 2020s onwards. In November, Crown Estate Scotland published an update on the proposals that stated that the new offshore wind leasing could start in April 2019 at the earliest. [Read more]

Also in November, The Crown Estate (UK) released further details on plans for a new offshore wind seabed leasing round in the UK, with proposed locations off the coast of Wales, England and Northern Ireland to be offered for new seabed rights, and a likely increase in capacity from 6GW to 7GW.  [Read more]

Netherlands

In March 2018, the Dutch government presented the Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030, setting out plans for the development of additional 7GW of offshore wind capacity in the 2024-2030 period. The wind farms to be prepared in the coming years will be located in three wind farm zones: the 1.4GW Hollandse Kust (west), the 700MW North of the Wadden Sea Islands (Ten Noorden van de Waddeneilanden), and the 4GW IJmuiden Far Offshore (IJmuiden Ver), with 0.9GW of capacity yet to be designated. In July 2018, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) issued a tender for the provision of an archaeological study for the three areas. [Read more]

United States

In April 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a call to obtain nominations from companies interested in commercial offshore wind energy leases within four proposed regions in the New York Bight. The New York Bight area is a region of shallow waters between Long Island to the north and east and the New Jersey coast to the south and west. The four call areas include 222 whole Outer Continental Shelf blocks and 172 partial blocks, comprising approximately 2,047 square nautical miles. In addition to nominations, BOEM sought public input on the potential for wind energy development in the areas. [Read more]