WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE
A total of 1,662 wind turbines are now installed and connected to the electricity grid in 55 offshore wind farms in 10 countries across Europe. Total installed capacity at the end of 2012 reached 4,995 MW, producing 18 TWh in a normal wind year, enough to cover 0.5% of the EU's total electricity consumption.
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Installed capacity - Cumulative share by
country (MW) - Source: EWEA
The UK has the largest amount of
installed offshore wind capacity in Europe (2,947.9 MW): 58.9% of
all installations.
Denmark follows with 921 MW (18.4%). With 380 MW (7.6% of total
European installations), Belgium is third, followed by Germany (280
MW: 5.6%).
In these countries the wind industry represents a real economic development opportunity. Germany, for instance, has developed a 200 ha industrial area within the Offshore Wind Port Bremerhaven that contains the necessary infrastructures (construction area, transport area and offshore terminal), research areas, universities, etc...These structures allow on site fabrication and development, and the offshore wind industry represents no less than 3 000 jobs.
France has no operational offshore wind farm to date. The first one will be built in Veulette-sur-Mer, totalling a capacity of 105 MW.