UK secures record supply of offshore wind but price rises
The UK has signed contracts to supply a record number of offshore wind projects as part of efforts to grow the country’s clean electricity supplies.
The projects span England, Scotland and Wales and include the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea.
But some analysts warn that despite record hauls of offshore wind, the government will still struggle to meet its 2030 “clean energy” target.
The government argues that wind projects are cheaper than new petrol plants and will “completely reduce bills”; but the Conservatives have previously accused climate targets of increasing energy costs.
The largest successful project is Berwick Bank in the North Sea, the largest offshore wind farm planned worldwide.
Other projects to be awarded contracts include the Dogger Bank South wind farm off the Yorkshire coast and the Norfolk Vanguard project off the coast of East Anglia; Awel Y Mor was the first successful Welsh project in over a decade.
The government wants at least 95% of Great Britain’s electricity to come from “clean” sources by 2030, partly to reduce emissions of planet-warming gases from fossil fuels. These clean sources include renewable resources such as solar and wind, and nuclear energy.
