Offshore wind coalition pushes for wider offshore charging deployment


A cross-industry coalition is calling on governments and regulators to accelerate the deployment of offshore charging technology for vessels operating in offshore wind farms.

The group says offshore charging could help reduce emissions from offshore support vessels by allowing them to draw renewable electricity directly from offshore wind farms.

The call comes through a new position paper developed by organisations across the offshore wind and maritime sectors, including Bibby Marine and Maritime CleanTech.

According to the paper, the main barriers to deployment are now regulatory, commercial and operational rather than technological.
“The technology to enable offshore charging is already here,” said Gavin Forward, new build fleet director at Bibby Marine.
“The challenge now is creating the right regulatory and commercial environment to bring it into widespread use.”

The coalition is calling for offshore charging infrastructure to be considered in the early stages of offshore wind farm development, alongside clearer commercial rules governing access to electricity generated offshore.

The paper also recommends delivering a full-scale demonstrator project and argues that Contracts for Difference mechanisms should accommodate the use of offshore-generated electricity by marine operations.

Commercial frameworks and offshore power access arrangements are still evolving across many offshore wind markets, potentially complicating wider deployment.

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