As the licence holder, Forewind will now begin to carry out the extensive surveys, assessments and planning required for the consent process. The Dogger Bank zone is large and a possible development has to be carried out stepwise with several projects.
The consortium’s commitment is to secure all the necessary consents for the construction and development of Dogger Bank, up to the point of investment decisions, which is anticipated from 2014.
Forewind has agreed with The Crown Estate a target installed capacity of 9 GW, though the zone has a potential for approximately 13 GW, which equates to around 10 per cent of total UK electricity requirements.
The consortium combines international offshore project delivery and renewables generation experience with UK utility and wind power expertise.
Forewind general manager Frank-Are Steinbakk said:
"The partners in the consortium are very satisfied with the announcement of Forewind as the successful bidder for Dogger Bank. This is an exciting project that is important for all the partners’ ambitions within offshore wind energy. There are many technical and logistical challenges to be addressed so Forewind will need to both draw fully on the experience of each of the partners and also look for innovative suppliers and contractors to help us ensure we address all the issues and achieve consent."
"Offshore wind energy is a strategic pillar for Statoil’s new energy business. Our goal is to mature the projects in the Dogger Bank zone up to investment decision, hopefully making profitable and technical feasible projects for the companies. Dogger Bank is a challenging zone where our competence from the offshore oil and gas business will be of significant value," says Margareth Øvrum, executive vice president of Technology & New Energy in Statoil.
UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said:
“Our island has one of the best wind energy resources in Europe and today’s news shows we’re creating the right conditions for the energy industry to invest in harnessing it. This is one of the strongest signals yet that the UK is locked irreversibly into a low carbon, energy secure prosperous future.”
Both Statoil and Statkraft are involved in the development of the 315 MW Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm in UK.
Forewind is a joint venture consortium comprising four leading international energy companies which joined forces to bid for Zone Development Agreements as part of The Crown Estate’s third licence round for UK offshore wind farms (Round 3).
The consortium has been named as the development partner for the largest zone – Dogger Bank.
As the development partner, Forewind will now begin to carry out the extensive surveys, assessments and planning required for the consent process. The consortium’s commitment is to secure all the necessary consents for the construction and development of Dogger Bank, up to the point of an investment decision, which is anticipated around late 2014.
The Forewind partners are:
SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc)
One of the largest energy companies in the UK.
RWE npower renewables
The UK subsidiary of pan-European renewable energy company RWE Innogy.
Statoil
A world leading offshore oil and gas operator.
Statkraft
Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy.
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In 2009, cumulative installed wind energy capacity increased nearly 21% worldwide.
Wind Power – Worldwide Installed Capacity Start 2010
Country -MW
1. United States- 32,919
2. Germany- 25,030
4. China- 20,000
4. Spain- 17,940
5. India -10,742
6. France -4,655
7. Italy -4,547
8. United Kingdom- 4,015
9. Denmark- 3,384
10. Portugal- 3,374
11. Canada- 3,301
12. Netherlands- 2,220
13. Japan-1,980
14. Australia-1,494
15. Ireland- 1,168
16. Greece- 1,063
17. Sweden-1,021
18. Austria- 995
19. Turkey- 635
20. Brazil- 634
21. Poland- 530
22. New Zealand- 468
23. Mexico- 443
24. Norway- 436
25. Egypt- 431
26. Belgium- 414
27. Morocco- 253
28. S. Korea-233
29. Taiwan- 224
30. Hungary- 177
31. Bulgaria-176
32. Finland-147
33. Czech Republic- 133
34. Estonia-117
35. Costa Rica- 92
36. Ukraine- 90
37. Chile- 78
38. Iran-67
39. Caribbean- 64
40. Tunisia-54
41. Lithuania-52
42. Luxembourg-35
43. Philippines-33
44. Argentina-30
45. Latvia-27
46. Croatia- 26
47. Pacific Islands- 24
48. Colombia- 20
49. Uruguay- 18
50. Switzerland- 14
51. Romania- 12
52. Russia- 11
53. Reunion (France)- 10
54. South Africa- 9
55. Cuba-7
56. Israel- 6
57. Slovakia- 3
58. Cape Verde-3
59. Sri Lanka- 3
60. Jordan- 2
61. Ecuador- 2
62. Peru- 1
63. Bangladesh- 1
64. Falklands Islands-1
Wind Energy in the World: 146,094 MW in 2010
