Massive competition from more than 65GW of offshore wind under development in the UK means projects will increasingly need to look at options beyond government-backed contract-for-difference (CfD) power deals, analysts said.

The scale of the development pipeline, fuelled by major seabed leasing rounds, means project investors will need future CfD allocations to match or beat that of the current fourth round, entries for which closed earlier in January, said energy market specialist Cornwall Insight.