The association of the UK wind, wave and tidal industries has announced an unprecedented milestone: the combination of wind and marine energy has reached 30,299 MW of operational capacity.
This figure represents a record for 46.4% of all electricity which was achieved in the British country in 2023, of which 28.1% comes from wind energy.
A goal achieved
Thus, with more than 30 GW, renewables are capable of reduce more than 35 million tons of emissions carbon into the atmosphere, while meeting the energy demand of 26 million families in one year.
This has been thanks to the opening of the Viking Park by SSE Renewablesin the territory of the Shetland Islands.
This center has had a development that has extended over more than 15 years and that has required more than 1.2 billion pounds.
Today, it has 103 turbinesmaking it one of the most productive onshore wind farms in the country.
A boost for wind power
In addition, this summer the newly formed Labour Government also made public its intention to maintain the promotion of renewable energies as a priorityspecifically to onshore wind power.
In this way, they allowed that the application for the installation of wind farmsuntil now more difficult than others, receive since then the same treatment as any other requestin contrast to groups that oppose it, such as the NIMBY group (for its acronym in English “Not in my backyard”).
In addition, a large state company has been created alongside the fund that manages the assets of the British Crown, Crown Estate to promote the energy transition through private investments.
This new company will be named Great British Energy and the aim of the agreement is to achieve the potential to mobilise up to 60 billion pounds (around 71.4 billion euros) in private contributions for the development and investment in energy projects or the management of local energy plans in collaboration with authorities and rural communities, among others.
Thus, The United Kingdom continues to support an energy transition that began more than 3 decades ago with the opening of the world’s first commercial onshore wind farm, located in Cornwall and the world’s first offshore wind project off the coast of Blyth.