Offshore wind farm plan approved

A major offshore wind farm has been given the green light by the Government.

The wind farm, located 14 miles off the Suffolk coast, will have the potential to generate up to 500 megawatts of electricity - enough to power 415,000 homes.

Some 140 wind turbines will be erected around the Inner Gabbard and The Galloper sandbanks to form the first UK offshore wind farm to be built outside territorial waters

The consent was granted by Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling to Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Limited, a joint venture between Airtricity and Fluor.

In a written statement to MPs, Science and Innovation Minister Malcolm Wicks said there had been a "thorough consideration of the possible impacts of the project on a range of environmental and other issues".

Mr Wicks said the decision was taking after consulting with conservation groups and they had also considered the affects on maritime navigation.

Airtricity chief executive officer Eddie O'Connor said: "This is a great boon for the United Kingdom.

"Wind on such scale will bring strong economic and environmental benefits for the UK.

"Wind reduces risk because the cost of the power offered will be fixed in price and offers price benefits for the consumer.

"Such large scale offshore wind provides consistent power and will push down the prices for fossil fuels.

"This price decrease is caused by the diminishment in demand for fossil fuels, something we've seen frequently in Northern Europe.

"Greater Gabbard will save money as well as contributing to the amount of electricity generated from emissions free sources."

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