Further 1GW of offshore wind power gets go-ahead
09 July 2012
The government has given consent for the construction of two wind farms off the Norfolk Coast with a combined capacity of over 1GW. This means that 6.6GW of offshore wind power is now either operational, under construction or consented in the UK. The two wind farms at Race Bank (580MW) and Dudgeon (560MW) in the Greater Wash could generate enough electricity to power around 730,000 homes. The projects represent around £3bn of investment.
An application for a third project at Docking Shoal, also off the Norfolk Coast has, however, been refused due to the potential impact on seabirds in the area. These birds (Sandwich terns) are specially protected by environmental legislation.
Energy minister Charles Hendry, Minister of State for Energy, said the two projects will not only bring considerable amounts of clean energy, but significant investment and jobs too. “We have also shown that we are mindful of other consequences, such as the impact on bird populations, in deciding that it would not be appropriate to consent all three applications.”
Contact Details and Archive...