Wind to pass nuclear in U.K.

LONDON, June 4 (UPI) -- U.K. leaders in wind energy say it will surpass nuclear energy in the next five years.

Statistics released by the British Wind Energy Association suggest that the U.K. wind industry's installed wind energy generating capacity will surpass installed nuclear within the next five years.

"Wind energy is no longer a minority pursuit. With nearly half a gigawatt already installed and a further 8 gigawatts of schemes in the pipeline, we are now a mainstream energy supplier," said BWEA Chief Executive Maria McCaffery.

While industry leaders are optimistic about delivery of projects already in the system, many believe the approval process for the next generation of offshore wind farms needs to be sped up.

Delays and bottlenecking in permitting, as well as high costs, have led to a number of projects being canceled in early stages.

BWEA Chairman Adam Bruce -- the head of sustainability at Scottish and Southern Energy -- said additional wind and offshore wind energy is necessary to meet the European Union 2020 renewable targets.