Energy Secretary Ed Davey has given consent for the world's biggest offshore wind project off the coast of East Yorkshire.
The Dogger Bank Creyke Beck offshore wind farm will comprise two wind farms with an installed capacity of 1.2 gigawatts each. They will connect to the national grid in the East Riding of Yorkshire and will cover approximately 430 square miles with the potential of powering almost 2 million homes.
Mr 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 two million homes." He added, "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 £14.5bn invested since 2010 into an industry which supports 35,400 jobs."
Although the project may still be years away from starting, given that the consortium behind the project has yet to make a final investment decision, obtaining planning consent for the wind farm is a major step forward.
Speaking about the project, Nick Medic, director of offshore renewables at RenewableUK, said, "This is an awesome project and will surely be considered as one of the most significant infrastructure projects ever undertaken by the wind industry. Dogger Bank demonstrates the sheer potential of offshore technology to turn our vast ocean and wind resources into green energy."
