BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 19. International analytical companies predict a shortage of specialized ships installing offshore wind farms, Trend reports.
Bloomberg experts estimate that there are currently only 15-20 specialized vessels in the world (excluding China) capable of installing turbines with a capacity of at least 15 megawatts, and with forecasts of a five-fold increase in offshore wind power capacity in the world by 2035, this fleet will not be enough.
There are presently roughly 40 special vessels operating out of China, according to Wood Mackenzie, albeit not all of them are exclusively utilized for offshore wind generating.
"To meet future demand, about $14.8 billion needs to be invested to replenish the spaceship fleet. Only about a third of this amount has been satisfied so far," Wood Mackenzie notes.
Leading offshore wind energy companies, Germany's RWE and Denmark's Orsted, are now renting out their vessels for multiple years at a time, and the cost of the leases is rising.
Data from Clarksons shows that day rates have risen from around $200,000 in 2022 to around $350,000 for the newest and largest vessels.
The growth of this business is crucial for investors and ship builders because many nations are switching to renewable energy.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan also intends to develop offshore wind energy, and its potential is estimated by the World Bank at 157 GW.
Thus, this issue may be relevant for Azerbaijan as well.
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