Provider for gas, electricity and renewable energy, ScottishPower Ltd., has been granted consent for a wind farm off the coast, using engines two and a half times as big as the Big Ben.
The planning consent for the renewable energy wind farm off the coast of Norfolk, will allow for the installation of larger and more efficient ‘next generation’ turbines, up to a tip height of 247 metres, which is two-and-a-half times the size of Big Ben (96 metres).
The company, which is a subsidiary of the Spanish utility Iberdrolahas, received planning approval from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Greg Clark MP, for the East Anglia THREE offshore windfarms with an output capacity of up to 1,200 megawatts (MW).
To be built 69 kilometres off the coast of Norfolk, the windfarm could produce enough electricity to power the annual demands of nearly one million homes.
ScottishPower Renewables believes that next generation technology will help to ensure that offshore wind is one of the cheapest forms of low carbon electricity.
The company’s current East Anglia ONE scheme is the best value project to go in to construction in the UK (£119 MW/h), and costs are expected to reduce even further in future auctions.
CEO of ScottishPower Renewables, Keith Anderson, said: “Offshore wind has delivered on its promises from the outset. Our sector has met every technical and political challenge, grown the UK’s supply chain, and improved the technology at a rapid pace to allow projects to be deployed in ever harsher conditions. At the same time, the level of cost reductions achieved would more commonly be seen in consumer electronics.
“In a little over a decade, our sector has delivered substantial amounts of green electricity for the UK, supported billions of pounds of UK investment and created thousands of high quality jobs.
“With the support of a highly-skilled supply chain, East Anglia THREE will further enhance the UK’s leading position in offshore wind. No other sector ticks all of the boxes in its ability to support the Government’s plans for rebalancing the economy and promoting economic diversity through the industrial strategy.
“Major contracts are already being delivered in towns and cities spread out all across the UK. Offshore wind has supported jobs and investment in Hull, Hartlepool, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, Grimsby, Teesside, Tyneside, Fife, Machrihanish and Belfast to name but a few. Large-scale projects like East Anglia THREE will continue to help to encourage economic regeneration where it is needed most.”
