UK Installs Record-Breaking Amount of Offshore Wind Energy in 2018

According to RenewableUK, eight new offshore wind farms were officially opened in 2018, bringing the annual total of new capacity to 2,121 MW online. This means clean energy for more than 2,300,000 homes all year round.  

The previous record was set in 2012 with a capacity of 1,154MW. The near-doubling of capacity compared to 2012 was achieved with just 18% more turbines (367 turbines this year compared to 309 turbines in 2012), underlining the impressive growth in turbine power in the last six years. Since 2012, the average capacity of an offshore turbine has grown over 50% from 3.7MW to 5.8MW this year.

RenewableUK’s Executive Director Emma Pinchbeck said: “We’re thrilled that we’ve absolutely smashed previous records and installed more new offshore wind power stations than ever before. This is just the beginning of the great shift to renewables. By 2030, offshore wind could be generating more than a third of the UK’s entire electricity needs, with 30 gigawatts up and running. Offshore wind has brought the UK jobs, lower bills and renewable energy. It’s offering even more to the UK in the anticipated Offshore Wind Sector Deal, which the Government has said it wants to finalise by Christmas”.