The UK is set to exploit wind resources in deep waters by developing 1GW of floating offshore wind turbines by 2030. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Conservative Party Conference; “Far out in the deepest waters we will harvest the gusts, and by upgrading infrastructure in such places as Teesside and Humber and Scotland and Wales we will increase an offshore wind capacity that is already the biggest in the world.”

Outlining plans for a “green recovery” the Prime Minister said that in ten years time offshore wind will power every home in the country. “And we will not only build fixed arrays in the sea; we will build windmills that float on the sea – enough to deliver one gigawatt of energy by 2030, fifteen times as much as the rest of the world put together.”

Current offshore wind technology uses turbines that are fixed to the seabed in waters of up to 40m deep. By using floating platforms, energy could be generated further offshore where wind speeds are greater leading to more efficient power production. To support this the Prime Minister announced investment of £160M in ports and factories across the country.

Comparing the UK’s wind resources to that of oil in Saudi Arabia he pointed to an industry that would support 60,000 jobs. “I remember how some people used to sneer at wind power, twenty years ago, and say that it wouldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding,” he said. “They forgot the history of this country. It was offshore wind that puffed the sails of Drake and Raleigh and Nelson, and propelled this country to commercial greatness.”

Today the UK has around 10GW of offshore wind energy installed and this is climbing fast as developers deliver on a third round of offshore wind projects. A target to increase this to 30GW by 2030 was increased to 40GW last year as wind energy costs continue to fall. The energy sector is awaiting an Energy White Paper from Government to give more details on how the UK plans to decarbonise its energy sector including support for new technologies.