25 years on from the country’s first offshore wind farm opening at Blyth, offshore wind supplies a fifth of British power generation

Over the last 25 years Britain’s offshore wind industry has made tremendous progress and now powers millions of homes. There is much to celebrate, yet our greatest potential still lies ahead. Working alongside the industry, Great British Energy is focussed on continuing to strengthen offshore wind and the supply chain. Our goal is to make the UK a global leader in technologies like floating offshore wind, exporting our expertise while generating gigawatts of clean, home-grown power. The next 25 years will define Britain’s energy future. By harnessing innovation, investing in people, and building resilient supply chains, we can unlock the full potential of offshore wind and emerging technologies. Together, we can deliver clean power at scale, create thousands of skilled jobs, and ensure the UK is a clean energy superpower.

Twenty-five years from the delivery of the UK’s first offshore wind farm, we’re now breaking real barriers in offshore wind execution with the construction of the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm which will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when built, capable of powering around six million homes annually. Not only is Dogger Bank the first project to be built so far offshore, and in the harshest of marine conditions, but it is also paving the way for large-scale offshore wind delivery being the first High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connected wind farm in the UK and the first globally to use a 10MW-plus platform in an offshore environment. The delivery of a project of this scale commercially is a real demonstration of the UK’s leadership in offshore wind. But we need many more Dogger Banks, not just to deliver on our climate action goals but to enable economic opportunity, energy security, and sustainable growth. While the offshore wind sector is facing headwinds globally, the ambition shown in the UK’s Clean Power Mission can help kickstart the sector, enabling it to drive further cost reductions and deployment into ever deeper waters around the world, and capturing economic opportunities here in the UK whilst doing so.

It’s hard to believe how far Britain has come on its clean power journey over the past quarter of a century, with renewables now producing around 60% of our electricity – up from just 3% in the year 2000. We’re now a global leader in offshore wind power, home to five of the largest wind farms in the world. Just last month Britain broke another maximum wind record, generating 22,711 MW – enough energy to power over 22 million homes across the country. It really shows what’s possible when we back clean home-grown energy as part of our generation mix.

Since the first offshore wind farm was built 25 years ago, Britain has led the global charge on developing this clean technology. At home, it has diversified our energy mix and reduced our emissions, whilst bringing new jobs and opportunities to Britain. Overseas it is helping other coastal nations decarbonise their energy supply too. A large part of this success is thanks to recent Conservative governments, who showed that when government sets the direction of travel and lets the private sector take the lead on delivery, innovative new sectors can thrive. To continue improving offshore wind technology in the decades ahead, we have to rediscover these principles. Britain must continue to remove the barriers to innovation and private investment to deliver a diverse, secure, clean energy supply.

Twenty five years on from the first offshore turbine at Blyth, the UK can be proud of leading the world in offshore wind. Under Ed Davey’s leadership as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Britain unlocked the offshore wind revolution and showed how bold action can transform our energy future. With the right choices now, we can build on that legacy and power millions more homes with clean, secure and affordable energy. Optimism and business certainty is key, and I’m feeling positive about what the next twenty five years can bring together with floating offshore wind if the Government succeeds in accelerating investment into this world-class industry, strengthening our energy security and getting energy bills down.