Higher costs make offshore wind problematic – NextEra Energy CEO

The higher costs of building and maintaining offshore wind power projects limit their usefulness compared to onshore wind and solar, the CEO of US energy major NextEra Energy, John Ketchum, told a conference in Texas this week.

Ketchum described offshore wind as "very capital intensive" at the CERAWeek energy conference in Texas according to Reuters.

“We find it hard enough just to take care of a fleet onshore with some of the issues that we deal with as a company, and we're best in class,” he added.

NextEra Energy recently raised its ambitions for renewables build-out in the US, but offshore wind does not feature in its plans.

Offshore wind projects are generally more challenging to maintain due to the more adverse conditions found at sea — points reportedly highlighted by Ketchum during the conference.

However, offshore sites typically enjoy higher average wind speeds and projects can benefit from the improved efficiencies of larger turbines offshore.