TEXT - S&P issues report on UK wind power sector
Date: 24-May-04
Country: USA
The U.K. has the most ambitious proposals for development of the sector in Europe, particularly relating to largely untested offshore wind farm technology.
"There have been some positive developments in the wind power industry recently, including an extension of the renewables obligation scheme, the incorporation of 100 MW of new capacity, and projected offshore capacity of 1,000 MW for 2005," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Jan Willem Plantagie.
"Objections to wind farm proposals from the Ministry of Defence, however, are high, and the approval process is becoming increasingly protracted. Furthermore, a number of reports have concluded that wind power is more expensive than other sources of power."
The article, entitled "Winds of Change Blow Through the U.K. Wind Power Sector", examines the industry in its present form and the potential impact of all the recent developments.
The report is available to subscribers of RatingsDirect, Standard & Poor's Web-based credit analysis system, at www.ratingsdirect.com. Ratings information can be found on Standard & Poor's public Web site at www.standardandpoors.com; under Credit Ratings in the left navigation bar, select Find Ratings, then Credit Ratings Search.
Alternatively, call one of the following Standard & Poor's numbers: London Ratings Desk (44) 20-7176-7400; London Press Office Hotline (44) 20-7176-3605; Paris (33) 1-4420-6708; Frankfurt (49) 69-33-999-225; Stockholm (46) 8-440-5916; or Moscow (7) 095-783-4017.
