GREEN LIGHT FOR MASSIVE JOB-CREATING WIND FARM
An offshore wind project expected to support up to 900 green jobs in Yorkshire and the Humber and attract millions of pounds’ worth of investment has today (17 February) been given the go-ahead.
Dogger Bank Creyke Beck A and B wind project will include up to 400 wind turbines, about 130km off the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, with underground cabling from the beach at Ulrome, to converter stations at Creyke Beck near Cottingham and a further underground connection to a nearby National Grid sub-station.
With a maximum capacity of 2400MW it will generate enough electricity to power almost two million homes once built.
Energy secretary Ed Davey said: “This is another great boost for Yorkshire and Humberside. This development has the potential to support hundreds of green jobs and power up to two million homes.
“Making the most of Britain’s home grown energy is creating jobs and businesses in the UK, getting the best deal for consumers and reducing our reliance on foreign imports. Wind power is vital to this plan, with £14.5bn invested since 2010 into an industry which supports 35,400 jobs.”
Almost half of the costs associated with building and operating a wind farm are spent buying services and products from UK businesses.
It marks a further step towards Yorkshire becoming an energy hub. Siemens and Associated British Ports announced a combined investment of £310m to develop new wind turbine production and installation facilities in Hull last year, creating more than 1,000 new jobs.
The Dogger Bank project is being taken forward by Forewind – a consortium comprising SSE, RWE, Statkraft and Statoil.