The go ahead for one of the UK's largest offshore wind farms to date was announced earlier this week by the Prime Minister, in a speech to business leaders at the CBI Scotland's Annual Dinner.
The 500MW West of Duddon Sands wind farm is planned near Walney Island off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and will comprise of up to 139 turbines. The developers, Morecambe Wind Limited, estimate the wind farm could provide the equivalent of around 372,000 homes with clean, green electricity.
The Energy Secretary John Hutton has also approved an updated application from Ormonde Energy Limited to build a 150MW wind farm comprising of up to 30 turbines, which will also be sited near to Walney Island.
John Hutton said:
"These wind farms demonstrate our commitment to dramatically increase the amount of energy we generate from renewable sources, helping to cut the UK's carbon emissions and secure our energy supplies.
"West of Duddon Sands will be one of the three largest wind farms approved to date and will help provide a significant contribution towards our renewable energy targets.
"Companies want to build here because we have made the UK one of the most attractive places to invest in offshore wind. It won't be long before enough offshore wind power is plugged in to the grid to make us world leaders, a fantastic achievement in less than a decade."
Both approvals have conditions attached. The developers, in consultation with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, will put in place appropriate measures to alert shipping to the presence of the wind farms throughout their lifetimes. This will include construction, normal operation and any emergency operation phases. Extensive guidance exists on this subject on the MCA's website. The developers must also make a contribution towards the cost of establishing and running an MCA operated Vessel Traffic Service which will provide information to shipping near the wind farm. This will be particularly useful during periods of bad weather and poor visibility.
Review all our latest Renewable Energy news and companies
