The Future Of Uk Offshore Energy

A recent government-sponsored study, run by an organisation called the Offshore Valuation Group

, has completed its study of the renewable energy potential of the United Kingdom and the results of the study are quite promising. This study analysed the available area offshore on which renewable energy could be developed over the next 40 years. It analysed three possibilities, how likely they are, and the results, with the most expensive being a development of 13.1 GW of renewable energy being installed every year up to 2050. The study concluded that, while that was highly unlikely, even with the other possibilities the UK could become a net energy exporter by 2050.

The benefits of this are enormous. The report estimates that this rapid deployment of energy could result in an additional 145,000 jobs for the UK economy, about 28 billion of additional tax revenue, and a huge influx of new revenue as energy becomes more expensive. In the short term, however, it is not so beneficial. The plan is extremely expensive and will only add about 30 GW of new capacity by the year 2020, not even enough to make the UK an export-neutral country with respect to energy.

Some have questioned whether the scenario outlined by the report is possible. While it is unlikely that the UK will be able to install that much energy every year, it is possible and not without precedent. For example, between 1994 and 2004 the UK was a net exporter of fossil fuels. The UK also already has plans in place for creating an energy supergrid in the North Sea. However, the Offshore Validation Group's chairman, Tim Helweg-Larsen, emphasizes that this study was only an analysis of the consequences. It was not a predictor of what the UK government will do, but only a certain way forward.

If this did occur there are a number of other consequences. The UK, by using the North Sea for renewable energy production, would be able to produce more energy than it got from the peak year of oil production, at the equivalent of 2.6 billion barrels a year. The study estimates that there is potential for 169 GW of energy production, so even at this rate of development, the country could continue to develop production facilities past the year 2050. Also, as the entire EU is developing an energy supergrid, it would be rather simple and cheap to export this energy. The report emphasizes that the Offshore Validation Group believes this is the best way forward for the UK.

by: Marcus Gallon

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