Benj Sykes, Head of DONG Energy’s UK Wind business will be one of eleven industry members sitting on the Offshore wind programme board.
The board has been set up as recommended in the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Taskforce’s report this year as part of their action plan to reduce the costs of offshore wind. The aspiration is to reduce the cost to £100 per megawatt hour for offshore wind projects seeking financial investment approval in 2020.
Benj Sykes commented: “DONG Energy is one of the biggest offshore wind developers in the UK and we have a very strong commitment to bringing down the cost of energy so it makes sense for us to be part of this group. We will be bringing our expertise and experience to the table to help tackle the barriers to offshore wind and drive down the costs.”
When the report was published earlier this year, DONG Energy supported the ambition for cost reduction but added that the timeline was tough.
Mr Sykes continued: “We believe it’s vital that industry and government have the chance to sit down together and devise the solutions. DONG Energy is playing an instrumental part in this cost reduction journey. As well as investing in our pipeline of projects, we will be testing two next generation 6 megawatt offshore wind turbines at our Gunfleet Sands site. We are also taking on the lease of Belfast Harbour, which is nearly finished and will be the UK’s first bespoke installation facility for offshore wind.”
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Press release, December 3, 2012; Image: DONG Energy