Trevor Gregory, ABB UK, Managing Director
The announcement that ABB has won an order worth £200 million to connect the world’s largest offshore wind farm in Germany using ABB’s proven HVDC light and sub-sea cable technology brings into sharp focus the challenges that remain for the development of our own offshore wind resource in the UK. It is clear that technology is not the barrier to connecting this vast resource.
We work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the technology solutions are well understood against the backdrop of regulatory, environmental and societal concerns.
With the announcements made on the 19th September 2007 regarding the planned energy policy and strategy for Europe, it is clear the emphasis on connection of renewables to meet the mandatory 2020 targets is at the heart of the proposed legislation. The planned Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators across Europe may make significant in-roads into harmonising regulation and grid codes across Europe to facilitate these aims, but here in the UK we are already advanced in many of these areas. With less than 13 years left to achieve the mandatory targets set this year in Europe regarding the deployment of renewable energy in the UK, a certain level of urgency is required.
As can be seen in these pages, ABB continues to play its part in providing innovative energy-efficient technologies that will connect and operate power system the future. We hope that, together, speedy solutions can be found to the non-technology-based barriers.
Trevor Gregory,
ABB UK Managing Director