Partner Article

Wind farm moves a step closer

A plan to site an offshore wind farm off the Teesside coast has moved a step forward. EDF Energy first announced plans for up to 30 of the 420ft turbines off the coast of Redcar in 2004, and consent has now been given by the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

The company said it was considering how to move the project forward, and would consult with the local council, residents and other interested parties. The planned wind farm will be capable of producing up to 90MW of electricity, enough to supply the annual requirements of about 60,000 households.

Vincent de Rivaz, EDF Chief Executive, said: “We’re very pleased with DBERR’s decision which marks an important milestone for the project. We have been consulting on our plans extensively with local groups for over 4 years and we would like to thank all those who took part for their valued input.

“EDF Energy has a long-term commitment to maintaining a diverse and sustainable energy mix in the future, involving all types of generation including renewables. We believe this diversity is crucial to address climate change, for security of supply and to provide competitively priced electricity for all our customers.

“We recently announced our Climate Commitments which set out our plans to transform our business to help tackle climate change. A key commitment is that over the next 5 years, EDF Energy and its affiliates will invest in around 1,000 MW of UK renewable energy production. The project proposed for Redcar will play an important role in helping to achieve these targets and will help lead the way in providing low carbon energy for current and future generations.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .