To date, 2.1 GW of offshore wind has been installed in European waters with a further 1.5GW due for completion by the end of 2010. However, achieving the 40-50GW targets for offshore wind power will require a significant increase in developments - at a cost of roughly £550 billion.

Despite the indisputable opportunity this presents, significant challenges stand between the offshore wind industry and its aggressive targets. Projects need to be scaled up, much further from shore and in deeper waters, and in harsher operating environments. Meanwhile, escalating costs will need to be reined in.

All these issues point to one thing: The offshore wind industry is entering unknown territory with little information to pass on, few lessons to learn from. This presents a high risk of costly mistakes.  

Already competing for dominance in the European offshore market are the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Norway, & Belgium and their wind developers, E.ON, Dong and Vattenfall.

In this highly competitive market, now is the time to make decisions regarding requirements for the future to ensure availability throughout the supply chain, quality of staff, bullet proof strategies and project finance security.

Wind energy developers gather in London to thrash out a solution

International offshore wind energy developers will be meeting at the 2nd annual Offshore Wind Construction, Installation and Commissioning Conference in London (20th -21st October) to discuss how to plan and execute reliable offshore installation projects in hostile, farshore & deepwater environments. This industry-led event will cover:

1) The construction supply chain, 2) farshore strategies, logistics, planning and deepwater solutions, 3) workforce skills, expertise & safety and 4) risk mitigation & project finance

Wind experience

This construction-focused conference will bring together the key developers, utilities, contractors, government representatives, and other key and other current industry experts to deliver not only their successes in far shore deepwater installation, but also their stumbling blocks, to equip others with the knowledge required for future installation projects.

Jon Harman, Director at Wind Energy Update says: ‘This conference will prepare offshore wind energy professionals – and those looking to move into the industry - with previously unheard facts, figures, strategies and data than you can be implemented immediately for not just the coming months, but also coming years’

Harman continues: “This will be the only meeting place to hear from the biggest names in the offshore wind industry including RWE Innology, Vattenfall, C-Power, Mainstream Renewables, London Array Limited, Siemens T&D, Fluor, REpower, Principle Power, BVG Associates, The Crown Estate, EC Harris and many more – in short, it’s a line up of only those with the knowledge to pass on”.

For more information on the conference agenda and how to attend, click here.

Wind Energy Update organises wind renewable events that have been attended by over 1800 leading wind energy executives from across the globe.