RenewableUK has welcomed the news that DONG Energy’s Hornsea Two offshore wind farm has gained planning consent from the UK Business and Energy Secretary, Greg Clark.
Wind power is currently delivering over 12% of the UK’s electricity, which 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 said.
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.”
The project, located off the coast of Yorkshire, will have a capacity of up to 1.8GW and could meet the electricity needs of around 1.8 million UK homes per year.