Offshore Wind Is Outgrowing the Boats That Build It

Offshore wind turbines are getting too big for the ships that install them. BloombergNEF estimates more than 30 gigawatts of offshore wind installations could struggle to find suitable vessels through 2035 if turbine growth continues. But building bigger ships takes years and hundreds of millions of dollars, and retrofits have their limits. That leaves the industry facing a choice between expanding its installation fleet or slowing the relentless growth in turbine size. So could a shortage of sufficiently large vessels become offshore wind’s next major bottleneck? On today’s show, Kamala Schelling is joined by BloombergNEF wind team analyst Kajsa Jernetz to discuss her note “Wind Installation Vessels: You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat.” Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com Links to research notes from this episode: Wind Installation Vessels: You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat - https://www.bnef.com/insights/40141See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.