NextEra CEO highlights complexities of offshore wind projects
In Texas, Reuters reported that the CEO of Florida-based company NextEra said that offshore wind offers a number of complications due to the complexity of installing and maintaining infrastructure at sea and the high cost of transmitting electricity back to shore. NextEra’s CEO John Ketchum noted that some of the main complications of offshore wind projects included salt water corrosion, the threat of hurricanes, the availability of ships and the installation of subsea transmission cables. He added that supply chain issues have driven up the costs. “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 said. Ketchum said NextEra expects its power generation capacity – excluding its regulated utility Florida Power and Light – to experience a dramatic growth in the next few years, from around 25 gigawatts now to around 70 gigawatts in 2026.
