About offshore wind
Offshore wind generation offers the potential to considerably expand the UK’s renewable energy content.
The UK is one of a small number of countries to have reached 5 gigawatts (GW) of wind power (onshore and offshore).
We are number one in the world for offshore wind power generation having overtaken Denmark in 2008.
Other pages in this area of the website give more details about DECC's offshore renewables approach, and the core of The Crown Estate, as landowner of the seabed.
This area also covers related environmental research and information on DECC's stakeholder liaison groups.
DECC offshore energy environmental assessment
In June 2009, DECC published A prevailing wind: advancing UK offshore wind deployment relating to the announcement of the outcome of the DECC offshore energy environmental assessment.
For information on offshore wind farms under construction and those generating electricity for the grid network, please visit the the Restats: Planning database project web pages.
ABP Mer Marine Conservation Zones study
In November 2010, DECC commissioned a study into the potential impact of a new Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) network on the growth of offshore renewables.
The study concluded that it is possible to develop an ecologically coherent network of MCZs in a way that minimises costs to offshore renewables projects.