A report published by RenewableUK has outlined key proposals to enable the operational lifespan of offshore wind farms to be extended, as well as recommendations for the development of the best decommissioning options.
The UK’s first offshore wind farm began generating clean power in 2000, and several of the older projects are currently entering the final stages of their lifespan. Collectively, their capacity of five gigawatts is enough to power nearly four million homes.
Before any offshore wind farm project can go ahead, developers must have decommissioning plans in place, which are updated throughout the lifespan of each project.
The report, titled Developing effective end-of-life policy frameworks for UK offshore wind, identifies several recommendations for governments and regulators.
These include clarification of policies on extending the lifespan of offshore wind farms to get greater value from existing sites, as the U.K. risks losing 5GW of offshore wind by 2035, which is one-third of our total offshore capacity.
Also, RenewableUK urges for the development of measures for repowering offshore wind farms, including exploring extending leases, building on recent positive steps by the government, such as developing onshore wind repowering policies for upcoming auctions for new clean power projects (in Allocation Round 7 and beyond).
The U.K.’s flagship organization for offshore renewables also calls for clear direction and leadership on decommissioning, including updating the existing guidance to recognize the complexity of the task and to take into account the technical, commercial and environmental challenges which offshore wind farm owners face.
“We have a great opportunity to strengthen the UK’s energy security by leveraging existing offshore wind infrastructure – either by extending the lifespan of existing projects or by repowering sites with modern state-of-the-art models. Instead of losing offshore wind capacity, we could potentially increase it.
“With greater policy clarity on lifetime extension and repowering, we can ensure that the Government achieves its climate targets by maximizing our offshore wind capacity, which is the central pillar of our future clean energy system,” said Nick Hibberd, the report’s co-author, RenewableUK’s Policy Manager.
