Britain’s offshore wind sector received a significant boost from a record-breaking renewables auction held on Tuesday, with major players like Orsted and Iberdrola among the winners. The auction, the largest in terms of budget, secured contracts for almost 10 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity, enough to power approximately 11 million homes.

The Labour government, which has been in power since July, increased the auction's budget to £1.5 billion ($1.97 billion) from the initial £1 billion after industry calls for greater support. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband emphasized that this auction marks a critical step towards meeting the country’s goal of decarbonizing the electricity sector by 2030, though analysts warn that the current progress is still insufficient to meet offshore wind targets.

Key projects awarded contracts include Orsted’s Hornsea 4, which secured the largest contract at 2.4 GW, and Iberdrola’s East Anglia Two and Three. Despite the success, industry leaders like Tom Glover of RWE UK expressed concern that two-thirds of the eligible pipeline was omitted, potentially hindering the sector’s acceleration.

The auction results showed a significant increase in electricity price contracts for offshore wind, ranging from £54.20 to £58.90 per megawatt-hour (MWh) in 2012 prices, much higher than the previous year’s offers. Analysts at Jefferies estimate these contracts would translate to £82.60 to £89.70 per MWh in 2027 prices.

Source: reuters.com