International Competition for Wind Energy Production Growing
2021-04-19
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1Governments worldwide are expected to seek more proposals for wind power stations to produce electricity in coastal areas this year.
2The new international wind power developments could produce more than 30 gigawatts of electricity.
3That is almost as much as the 35 gigawatts currently produced around the world.
4Some industry experts say the business environment for wind power is very competitive.
5Several European oil companies including Total, BP and Shell plan to quickly expand their renewable energy businesses.
6They aim to reduce dependence on oil and gas production to satisfy investors who want long-term business plans that result in less pollution.
7Many governments are also ordering electricity companies to meet increasingly lower pollution targets.
8Big oil companies are entering the renewable power market although it is less profitable than traditional operations.
9Earlier this year, BP and German company EnBW paid a record price for development rights to two offshore areas that could produce three gigawatts of electricity.
10The sites are near the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
11The developers pay a yearly amount before making a final investment decision.
12The payment for BP and EnBW will amount to almost $1.4 billion made in four yearly payments for rights to the areas.
13Offshore wind power developers, Iberdrola, Orsted and SSE all confirmed to Reuters they had unsuccessfully sought the contract.
14Some experts say the high fees threaten the cost reductions the industry has gained over the past 10 years.
15Mark Lewis is with BNP Paribas, a French banking group.
16He said the recent fee deal would add around 35 percent to project development costs.
17BP said the fee was reasonable considering the area of the sites in the Irish Sea.
18He said they are not in deep water and are close to land.
19The company said the conditions at the sites will permit shorter, less costly connection wiring.
20But, some in the industry have expressed concern.
21Ben Backwell is chief of the Global Wind Energy Council, an industry group.
22He said there are not enough projects to meet demand.
23"So you are going to create an over-heated market when what we want to see is more opportunities made available," he said.
24Julien Pouget is a renewable energy expert with the French oil company Total.
25He said the technology is developing quickly.
26He noted announcements about larger wind turbines.
27He said the development makes his company hopeful about cost reductions that will make operations profitable.
28Britain oversees the development contracts.
29The country guarantees producers a minimum price for electricity.
30But because industry costs are falling, the guaranteed price is now the lowest it has ever been: 30 percent lower than in 2017.
31Britain is the world's largest offshore wind market.
32It is estimated that 10 gigawatts of electricity can be produced there.
33European countries including Denmark, Poland and France are expected to hold competitive sales of development rights called auctions this year.
34In the United States, President Joe Biden wants to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.
35There are currently 13 projects in development.
36They are expected to produce around 9.1 gigawatts of electricity and might begin operation by 2026.
37Spanish energy company Iberdrola is already involved in development proposals in the American states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts through its U.S. group, Avangrid.
38BP agreed to pay $1.1 billion in a deal last year to buy one-half of two U.S. developments from the Norwegian company Equinor.
39In Asia, Japan plans to develop up to 10 gigawatts of offshore wind electricity by 2030.
40The country plans to expand that amount to 30 to 45 gigawatts by 2040.
41Iberdrola bought Japanese developer Acacia Renewables last year.
42It said it expects to take part in the sales in Japan.
43However, experts warned that new areas cannot expect high prices for development rights, also called seabed leases.
44And they cannot expect to offer price guarantees as low as Britain's.
45Backwell of the Global Wind Energy Council said the industry in Asia and in the U.S. is still developing.
46He said: "Each region has to build up its own industry and skills before they can expect to see the most competitive prices."
47I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Alice Bryant.
1Governments worldwide are expected to seek more proposals for wind power stations to produce electricity in coastal areas this year. 2The new international wind power developments could produce more than 30 gigawatts of electricity. That is almost as much as the 35 gigawatts currently produced around the world. Some industry experts say the business environment for wind power is very competitive. 3Several European oil companies including Total, BP and Shell plan to quickly expand their renewable energy businesses. They aim to reduce dependence on oil and gas production to satisfy investors who want long-term business plans that result in less pollution. Many governments are also ordering electricity companies to meet increasingly lower pollution targets. 4Big oil companies are entering the renewable power market although it is less profitable than traditional operations. Earlier this year, BP and German company EnBW paid a record price for development rights to two offshore areas that could produce three gigawatts of electricity. The sites are near the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 5The developers pay a yearly amount before making a final investment decision. The payment for BP and EnBW will amount to almost $1.4 billion made in four yearly payments for rights to the areas. 6Offshore wind power developers, Iberdrola, Orsted and SSE all confirmed to Reuters they had unsuccessfully sought the contract. 7Some experts say the high fees threaten the cost reductions the industry has gained over the past 10 years. Mark Lewis is with BNP Paribas, a French banking group. He said the recent fee deal would add around 35 percent to project development costs. 8BP said the fee was reasonable considering the area of the sites in the Irish Sea. He said they are not in deep water and are close to land. The company said the conditions at the sites will permit shorter, less costly connection wiring. 9But, some in the industry have expressed concern. Ben Backwell is chief of the Global Wind Energy Council, an industry group. He said there are not enough projects to meet demand. 10"So you are going to create an over-heated market when what we want to see is more opportunities made available," he said. 11Julien Pouget is a renewable energy expert with the French oil company Total. He said the technology is developing quickly. He noted announcements about larger wind turbines. He said the development makes his company hopeful about cost reductions that will make operations profitable. 12Britain oversees the development contracts. The country guarantees producers a minimum price for electricity. But because industry costs are falling, the guaranteed price is now the lowest it has ever been: 30 percent lower than in 2017. 13Asia and the U.S. are relatively new markets 14Britain is the world's largest offshore wind market. It is estimated that 10 gigawatts of electricity can be produced there. 15European countries including Denmark, Poland and France are expected to hold competitive sales of development rights called auctions this year. 16In the United States, President Joe Biden wants to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. There are currently 13 projects in development. They are expected to produce around 9.1 gigawatts of electricity and might begin operation by 2026. 17Spanish energy company Iberdrola is already involved in development proposals in the American states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts through its U.S. group, Avangrid. BP agreed to pay $1.1 billion in a deal last year to buy one-half of two U.S. developments from the Norwegian company Equinor. 18In Asia, Japan plans to develop up to 10 gigawatts of offshore wind electricity by 2030. The country plans to expand that amount to 30 to 45 gigawatts by 2040. 19Iberdrola bought Japanese developer Acacia Renewables last year. It said it expects to take part in the sales in Japan. 20However, experts warned that new areas cannot expect high prices for development rights, also called seabed leases. And they cannot expect to offer price guarantees as low as Britain's. Backwell of the Global Wind Energy Council said the industry in Asia and in the U.S. is still developing. 21He said: "Each region has to build up its own industry and skills before they can expect to see the most competitive prices." 22I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Alice Bryant. 23The Reuters news agency reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 24______________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26gigawatt -n. a unit of power equal to one billion watts; a watt is a measure of energy 27offshore -adj. in the ocean away from the coast 28opportunity -n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done; a chance to do or gain something 29turbine -n. an engine that has a part with blades that turn because of pressure from water, steam or air 30minimum -adj. the lowest possible amount