World's second largest offshore wind farm gets green light

The government has given the green light for what will be the world's second largest offshore wind farm to be built off the coast of North Wales.

The Gwynt y Mor site, which will provide 750MW from some 250 turbines, is to be developed by npower renewables.

Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband said offshore wind was a key part of the UK's future energy mix.

"The North Wales coast is set to become a powerhouse for renewable energy," he said. "Gwynt y Mor will be the largest of four offshore wind farms which combined will have the potential to power the equivalent of around 680,000 homes with green electricity."

The site is the fourth in the area to receive approval. North Hoyle (30 turbines) and Burbo (25 turbines) are already up and running, while Rhyl Flats (25 turbines) has had construction work postponed for the winter after one of the installation boats was lost at sea.

A map of the four wind farms can be found on npower's website.

The British Wind Energy Association welcomed the move.

"Gwynt y Mor is a landmark project both for Wales and the UK as a whole," said a spokesperson.

"The momentum is now behind wind as a viable source of sustainable energy, and the government and industry must continue to work together in order to deliver projects both on and offshore."

The total capacity of offshore wind is expected to grow to 1.8GW within the next two years.

Widespread local opposition to onshore wind projects, the UK's overcast climate, and the immaturity of tidal and wave technologies mean that offshore wind is vital if the UK is to meet EU targets of providing 15 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2020.

Supply bottlenecks and high installation costs have hampered offshore wind projects recently.

Centrica last month announced it was reviewing the economic case for 1,000MW of planned turbine construction around the UK, while Shell and BP have both retreated from the sector because of cost concerns.

Lord Turner's report on Building a Low Carbon Economy released this week by the climate change committee found that there is likely to be huge reductions in the cost of installing offshore wind going forward.

But there is no guarantee these reduction will come in time for the UK to meet its 2020 targets.

"High reliance on offshore wind would therefore increase the danger that renewables targets cannot be met as a result of supply bottlenecks," says the report.