Director Garrett Morrison, from the Norwegian firm, said it hoped to capitalise on the Labour government's support for offshore wind power. In a BBC interview, he said the feeling in the renewable energy sector was that "now is the time" for offshore wind development.

Co-author Friederike Andres echoed the need for Government leadership: “Policy attention is rightly focussing on building new offshore wind farms. However, with originally anticipated average lifespans of twenty to twenty-five years, the UK’s earliest offshore wind farms are currently entering their final lifespan stage.”

A new report from RenewableUK sets out key proposals to enable the operational lifespan of offshore wind farms to be extended. The report also provides recommendations for developing the best decommissioning options for offshore wind farms.

Britain opened an incentive scheme on Thursday for offshore wind projects, seeking to persuade developers to provide the investment to meet an ambitious goal of decarbonising the country's energy system by 2030.