Government gives go-ahead to world’s largest offshore wind farm
Hornsea Two offshore wind farm from DONG Energy has gained planning consent from the Business and Energy Secretary, Greg Clark.
RenewableUK is responding to the news that the Hornsea Two offshore wind farm from DONG Energy has gained planning consent from the Business and Energy Secretary, Greg Clark.
The project, located off the coast of Yorkshire, will have a capacity of up to 1.8 gigawatts (GW). This could meet the electricity needs of around 1.8 million UK homes per year.
Wind power is currently delivering over 12% of the UK’s electricity. This is expected to increase to 20% by 2020 with offshore wind alone providing 10%. Offshore wind’s costs have also fallen dramatically in the past few years, and it is on course to become competitive with new nuclear and gas.
RenewableUK’s Chief Executive, Hugh McNeal, said:
“Today’s announcement is the latest vote of confidence in the UK’s world-beating offshore wind market. This huge infrastructure project will provide much-needed investment and energy security for our country. Offshore wind represents a massive economic opportunity to the UK and our coastal regions. It is creating new jobs and regenerating local communities”.
