, all coming at time when the offshore industry was expected to expand quickly, called into question the achievement of climate protection goals.
Turbines have roughly doubled in size every decade with the largest ones operating in 2021 and 2022 coming with 110-metre blades and a capacity of 12 to 15 megawatts . But the bigger they get the more susceptible they have become to faults, said Rob West, analyst at consultancy Thunder Said Energy. Fraser McLachlan, chief executive of GCube Insurance, said the number of insurance claims from wind developers has fallen in the past year but the amounts and severity of claims has gone up significantly.
"Participation in the offshore wind market has become a risky business, not only for insurers, but also manufacturers, developers, and supplier companies – with some now facing a material risk to their survival," McLachlan said.