THE European offshore wind market could offer huge opportunities to firms in the UK but issues over financing will dictate how fast it takes off, an event in Aberdeen was told last night.
Speaking at an SCDI business seminar Giles Dixon, a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Bob Dunsmore, head of Subsea 7’s new renewables division, gave their views on the opportunities and challenges facing the fledgling industry.
Issues raised included the high targets set by government for the amount of offshore windpower required by 2020, the ramp-up in construction needed to meet those targets and the difficulties in gaining financing to fund the projects.
With the potential market size beyond 2020, however, there could be plenty of opportunities for UK firms to get involved, depending when and how quickly the market takes off.