Full Vestas support for UK Round 3

The 6 MW wind turbine whose development Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel announced last year is well suited to the UK’s third round of offshore projects. “We believe the new 6 MW platform will seriously reduce cost of energy for Round 3 projects” says Uffe Vinther-Schou, Vice President Sales with Vestas Offshore. “We are now talking to the Round 3 winners to further grow our understanding of their aspirations and create compelling value propositions.”

Vestas’ support for UK Round 3 goes well beyond turbines, Vinther-Schou says: “Our support, for instance, will help the Round 3 winners steer through the rather complex regulatory environment of Round 3. We are moving on from being seen as just a turbine manufacturer and becoming increasingly active throughout the supply chain.”

The UK now has by far the world’s most ambitious and best-thought-out offshore wind plans, Vinther-Schou says. Early January saw the announcement of the bid winners for the nine Round 3 zones, which between them total 32 GW of capacity. Projects on this scale will bring new challenges, Vinther-Schou says: “For instance, the Dogger Bank zone, at around 9 GW, is certain to involve two or three different models of turbine. Servicing these could require partnerships that cut across today’s competitive boundaries.”

The scale and uniqueness of Round 3 emphasise the importance of political commitment to offshore wind, Vinther-Schou says. “We are working to ensure that the outcome of the UK general election on 6 May does not affect Round 3. Beyond that, we believe the UK can eventually become an energy exporter, and we want to help other governments use offshore wind to meet their 2020 emissions targets.”