last updated 13th October 05
By 4ecotips

Heralds major growth year for the industry

There is just one week until BWEA27: Embrace the Revolution, sponsored by ScottishPower Renewables, opens at the Cardiff International Arena (18-20 October). Over the course of three days more than 800 energy professionals will attend the largest dedicated wind, wave and tidal conference and exhibition of its kind in the UK.

The event will open when UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks MP and Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Economic Development and Transport, Andrew Davies AM, will address the conference and take questions from the floor. The Energy Minister expected to make significant announcements on the future of the industry in his keynote address to delegates.

Plenary sessions and parallel sessions will address all the key issues and latest developments in the sector, including onshore and offshore wind, wave & tidal stream, small wind systems and much more. Also over 75 companies from the world of wind and marine renewables will have displays in the adjacent exhibition.

BWEA's conference and exhibition comes in a record year of growth for the UK wind industry. In July 2005, the sector broke the gigawatt (GW) barrier, making the UK one of only eight countries around the world to have reached this level of wind power capacity.

Already over 400 megawatts of new wind power capacity have been switched on in 2005, with 19 new wind energy projects totaling some 500 MW of capacity expected to be officially commissioned by the end of the year, taking UK wind generation to over 1% of UK electricity supply, and well on track for expectations of the sector.

Key amongst this year's new build is Kentish Flats, the UK's fourth and biggest large-scale offshore wind farm with a total capacity of 90 MW. Onshore records were also broken on more than one occasion with the commissioning of the largest wind farm, first at Cefn Croes in mid-Wales and subsequently at ScottishPower's 97 MW Black Law, which is the biggest wind farm on or offshore operating in the UK.

Visit www.bwea.com/27 for full details of the event.