03 Dec 2008 05:12:48
World's 2nd largest offshore wind farm approved for Wales
Proposals for a 250-turbine wind farm off the coast of Wales dubbed the world's second largest have been approved.
Npower Renewables' Gwynt y Mor Offshore Wind Farm, which will have generating capacity of 750 megawatts, received the go-ahead for construction off the North Wales coast from the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
It will join three other smaller wind farms in the area to add up to a total generating capacity sufficient to power the equivalent of 680,000 homes.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: "The North Wales coast is set to become a powerhouse for renewable energy. 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."
A spokesperson for the British Wind Energy Association said the "landmark project" took the total generation capacity for offshore projects with approval to 4.5 gigawatts.
The Committee for Climate Change's report on Building a Low Carbon Economy, claimed that wind power should account for 30 per cent of the UK's energy production by 2020.
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