Go-ahead given for world's largest offshore windfarm » Environment » 24dash.com

The world's largest offshore windfarm is to be built off the coast of south east England, the Government said today.

The London Array windfarm, 12 miles (20km) off Kent and Essex, was given the green light by the Department of Trade and Industry today.

It will consist of 341 turbines and occupy an area of 90 square miles (232 sq km) between Margate and Clacton.

London Array, a consortium of Shell WindEnergy Ltd, E.On UK Renewables and Core Ltd, is behind the £1.5 billion, 1,000 megawatt project.

It claims the windfarm will avoid emissions of up to 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and could make up to 10% of the UK Government's 2010 renewables targets.

A second windfarm, off the coast of Kent, was also given the go-ahead today.

The Thanet windfarm will be 7 miles (11km) from North Foreland on the Kent coast and will contain 100 turbines, occupying 13.5 square miles (35 sq km).

The £500 million project being developed by Warwick Energy is expected to be completed by 2008. It will supply electricity to around 240,000 homes.

The combined might of both windfarms will be enough to power a third of London's three million households, or the combined households of Kent and Sussex.

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Alistair Darling said: "It is a significant step forward in providing a greener and clean source of power.

"Britain is second only to Denmark in the offshore wind sector and projects such as the London Array, which will be the biggest in the world when completed, and Thanet underline the real progress that is being made.

"Achieving rapid growth in offshore renewables is essential if we are to reduce carbon emissions and improve the security of our energy supplies."

Environment Secretary David Miliband added: "We expect this announcement will be the first of a number of large-scale offshore windfarms in the UK and will provide real impetus for the continued developments in the offshore renewable energy sector that will benefit generations to come.

"By issuing the licences to build the world's largest offshore windfarms in the Thames Estuary, we are reinforcing the UK's commitment to renewable energy and combating climate change and ocean acidification."

Speaking on behalf of London Array, James Smith, chair of Shell UK, said: "We're delighted to have received the DTI's consents today."

Warwick Energy director Mark Petterson said: "We are pleased that the Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and DTI consents have been granted.

"The emphasis must now be on the timely delivery of new renewable energy capacity to make a real impact on CO2 emissions. We urge all involved to stay focused on the important tasks ahead."

A date for the construction of the London Array windfarm is unlikely to be set until the outcome of a planning inquiry concerning the project's proposed electricity substation is known.

The substation, which would channel the power generated offshore to the national grid, is planned for Cleve Hill, Graveney, in Kent.

But planning permission was refused by Swale Borough Council and residents have expressed concern about the rise in the volume of traffic that would result during the building of the substation.

London Array has offered an £850,000 community benefits package to appease residents of the village of Graveney.

This includes bursaries to local primary and secondary schools, and the offer to fund the higher education costs for one student every year for a decade.

The outcome of the planning inquiry will be announced next year, according to the DTI.

Greenpeace welcomed the Government's decision.

A spokesman said: "This is one of the most important decisions concerning renewable energy that the Government has had to take.

"This is clean energy on a massive scale and we have been waiting too long. It's a pioneering project and we need more of them."

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Martyn Williams said: "Wind energy has a vital role to play in cutting UK carbon dioxide levels.

"UK carbon dioxide emissions have risen under Labour. The Government must show that it is prepared to take action that will lead to substantial cuts.

"Schemes like London Array can play a significant role, but we must go further. Ministers should start by ensuring that the recently-announced new climate change law will require successive Governments to make annual cuts in UK emissions."

British Wind Energy Association chief executive Maria McCaffery said: "BWEA is delighted by the first consents for the second phase of the UK's world-leading offshore programme.

"The significance of these decisions is far greater than the projects themselves, although they will bring many notable benefits to the UK in terms of clean, carbon-free generation.

"Far more important is the clear signal from the UK to the rest of the world that this country is open for business for offshore wind and we look forward to more consents in the near future."

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said today that London Array was taking into account bird welfare in its construction of the windfarm.

The charity raised concerns that the 341-turbine site could threaten the winter colony of around 7,000 red-throated divers.

These birds are susceptible to disturbance from construction and maintenance work, and the movement of turbines.

The RSPB said the developer had agreed to reduce the number of turbines constructed during the first phase from 258 to 175.

Monitoring to assess their impact on the birds will begin once they start operating, along with the threat to the birds of colliding with turbines.

The RSPB said consent for more turbines would be given only if the birds were not adversely affected.

RSPB conservation director Dr Mark Avery said: "The co-operation of the developers has been exceptional and we are confident that the birds will not be affected by this first stage of the development.

"If monitoring shows that they are, then the developers have accepted that their plans for additional turbines will have to be dropped.

"We are very pleased that this windfarm is to be built. Renewable energy generation is crucial to tackling climate change and when windfarms do not cause environmental damage, the RSPB will be the first to support them."

The discovery of the colony of red-throated divers surprised researchers who had believed there were fewer than 5,000 of the birds in the UK.

The Government wants to produce 10% of Britain's electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and it has an aspirational target of 20% by 2020.

Asked how important these windfarms are to achieving this target, Environment Secretary David Miliband told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "At the moment we are about between 4% and 5% and we want to get to 20. This will take us another per cent or so towards that target of 20%."

Mr Miliband said all the targets "are stretching because the nature of the problem is stretching".

"Climate change is something that does challenge the way we live and work and there's no point in hiding that from people."

He said the good thing about offshore wind turbines "is that you don't have to go far offshore to get really high levels of wind, get energy generation that can't be achieved off the European continent for example".

"The onshore developments I defend, but the offshore is there as a really important resource for the future."

Mr Miliband said most people recognised the difference between projects of national strategic importance and more local ones.

"In both cases you need proper local input and proper national clarity and national framework, but I think it does offer us a big opportunity."

The Environment Secretary was asked about the situation in this case where, on the smaller of the two developments, the wind turbines have been given the go-ahead by the Department of Trade and Industry while the local council is objecting to the electricity substation that will be needed to bring the power from the turbines into the National Grid.

Asked if this was the sort of conflict Mr Miliband hoped to resolve through a new planning system, he replied: "There are some tricky issues and what I would say is we can't all be in favour of renewable energy in theory and then against wind turbines in practice.

"We have to change our mindset because climate change does require us to look at these issues in a different way."

Mr Miliband was asked if that balance was about consultation rather than allowing people to object and so delay projects.

He said: "It's not as simple as that. Even under the present system, as I understand it, the officers in the case of the substation actually recommended in favour of the scheme and there are clear rules that apply, but I think climate change does change the rules of the game and it changes the rules of the game in fundamental ways that require us to think afresh about some of the assumptions that have been held before.

"I certainly believe that it's right to look at national infrastructure projects, for example for renewable energy as well as other items - to look at them with a fresh eye because climate change requires us to do so."

Copyright Press Association 2006