No Cranes Out At Sea?

It is an accepted sign of a slowdown in the construction industry - and a harbinger of recession - when cranes start to disappear from city skylines.

An article published in The Financial Times (FT) on 4 November, therefore, is unwelcome news for those who have staked a bet on a boom in offshore wind - whether that is developers, supply chain contractors, advisers or politicians.

For those who have not read the article (by Pilita Clark, FT's Environment Correspondent), the basic thrust is that orders for offshore wind turbines have come to an abrupt halt in the UK, in what some industry figures regard as the first clear sign of a "long-feared" slowdown in renewable energy investment.