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Offshore wind developments will blow in new era for the East of England
Media centre > Press releases > Offshore wind developments will blow in new era for the East of England
Offshore wind developments will blow in new era for the East of England
8 January 2010
EEDA has welcomed today’s announcement by Gordon Brown and the Crown Estate of the winning companies selected to develop offshore wind farms, which provides significant opportunities for companies in the region.
A who’s who of major wind power developers have won licences to develop massive offshore projects, which are earmarked to supply 32 GW of electricity, equivalent to a quarter of the UK’s demand.
In this region, East Anglia Offshore Wind Ltd – a joint venture between ScottishPower Renewables and Vattengall Vindkraft – has been selected as the preferred bidder and will now work alongside the Crown Estate to take forward projects in the ‘Norfolk Bank Zone’ – a project which is expected to deliver around 7.2 GW of electricity.
Once consents have been obtained, developers would expect to construct the wind farm projects between 2015 and 2020.
For Deborah Cadman, chief executive of EEDA, the announcement signals the start of an exciting new era for the East of England:
“Moving towards a low-carbon economy is a necessity, not a choice. But it also opens up an era of huge opportunities for this region in particular. It’s an era which will see coastal towns across the East of England seize upon the huge market opportunities based on its most natural of unlimited resources – the wind which swirls around the East Coast.”
“The East of England – and in particular places like Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, Harwich and Tilbury - have so much to offer prospective offshore windfarm developers. Already this region is establishing itself as a focal point for the renewable energy sector, as the recent opening of OrbisEnergy at Lowestoft demonstrates. Today’s announcement cements the East of England’s position as a leader in the renewable energy sector.”
On making the announcement, Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated that the offshore wind industry was at the heart of the UK economy’s shift to low carbon and could be worth £75 billion and support up to 70,000 jobs by 2020.
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