UK approves plans for world’s largest wind power project to power 2m homes
UK energy secretary approves plans for two separate wind farms, each with up to 200 turbines generating a capacity of 1.2-gigawatt, to be built on the Yorkshire coast
The UK energy secretary has approved plans for the world’s largest offshore wind farm to be built on the Yorkshire coast and the development could power two million homes.
The Dogger Bank Creyky Beck project will include two separate wind farms, each with up to 200 turbines generating a capacity of 1.2-gigawatt.
The approval from Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change Ed Davey comes after four years of assessments and stakeholder consultations, with more than £60 million spent on surveys.
The project will be developed by the Forewind consortium, which is owned by the energy firms, RWE, SSE, Statkraft and Statoil.
The sites will be located around 130 kilometres from the UK coastline and will cover an area in the region of 500 kilometres squared.
The project is expected to be one of the UK’s largest power generators, second only to the Drax coal powered station in North Yorkshire.
The Dogger Bank Creyke project could create 4,750 jobs and generate more than £1.5 billion for the UK economy.
General Manager of the project, Tarald Gjerde said securing consent for what will be the world’s largest offshore wind project will help confirm the UK’s position as world leaders in the industry.
Davey said: “This is another great boost for Yorkshire and Humberside. This development has the potential to support hundreds of green jobs and power up to 2 million homes. Making the most of Britain’s home grown energy is creating jobs and businesses in the UK, getting the best deal for consumers and reducing our reliance on foreign imports. Wind power is vital to this plan, with £14.5 billion invested since 2010 into an industry which supports 35,400 jobs.”
