Since 2003, the UK has installed 14.7GW of offshore wind. However, with expected average lifespans of 20-25 years, the UK’s oldest wind farms are entering the final stages of their operational capacity, and decommissioning plans are now being put to the test.

The UK risks losing 5 GW of offshore wind by 2035, one-third of the country’s total offshore capacity and enough to power 4 million homes, according to RenewableUK. To help mitigate this precarious situation, the ‘Developing effective end-of-life policy frameworks for UK offshore wind’  report sets out proposals to enable the operational lifespan of offshore wind farms to be extended and sets out recommendations for the development of the best decommissioning options for offshore wind farms. 

The report calls on the Government to clarify policies on lifetime extensions, streamline repowering processes and update decommissioning guidance to reflect the complexity of removing or upgrading offshore infrastructure. The report calls for urgent action from policy makers, so “instead of losing offshore wind capacity, we could potentially increase it.”