The UK government has approved plans for a 76 MW offshore wind farm. The $117 million project is to be constructed at Middle Scroby Sands, 2.5 km off the coast of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.
The project will involve installation of up to 38 wind turbines, each of around 2 MW capacity. Work is scheduled to begin at the end of this year, with completion by the summer of 2003.
The wind farm, a joint venture between Powergen and the North Sea oil service group Abbot, will be constructed by Powergen Renewables Offshore Wind Ltd. It is the first of 18 potential sites identified by developers who pre-qualified last year for Crown Estate seabed leases.
Electricity suppliers in the UK will have to source 10 per cent of their electricity from renewables by 2010 under current government targets. This could rise to 20 per cent by 2020. Much of the required new capacity is expected to be based on wind farms and offshore sites appear to be one of the most attractive routes for large-scale development. Today around 3 per cent of UK electricity comes from renewables.