Europe’s Offshore Wind Ambitions Face Huge Supply Chain Challenge
- Climate goals will require up to 54,000 kilometers of cables
- The EU’s offshore wind sector needs massive boost by 2050
An offshore wind farm near Helgoland, Germany.
Photographer: Christian Charisius/AFP/Getty Images
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Europe’s offshore wind sector faces a herculean effort to build the infrastructure needed to meet the continent’s climate goals.
Almost 500 gigawatts of generation capacity will be deployed across the European Union and neighboring countries, like the UK and Norway, making it the third-biggest energy source by 2050. But those targets will require up to 54,000 kilometers (34,000 miles) of additional transmission lines — enough to circle the planet 1.5 times.