U.K. Approves Plans for What Could Become the World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

The British government has approved what could become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, a 1,200-megawatt endeavor that is slated to begin producing energy by 2019.

On Tuesday, the U.K.’s Department for Energy & Climate Change, a government body that’s responsible for getting the U.K. to meet a goal of getting at least 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, gave the OK to ScottishPower Renewables and Swedish utility Vattenfall to build their East Anglia One offshore wind farm.  Right now, the plan is to build up to 240 offshore wind turbines which together will generate 1,200 megawatts of power — making this project larger than the 630 megawatt London Array offshore wind farm, currently the largest offshore farm in the world.  The companies estimate that the farm will have the potential to power 820,000 households.

“East Anglia and the rest of the U.K. have a lot to gain from this development,” DECC Secretary Ed Davey said.  “The project has the potential to inject millions of [British pounds] into the local and national economies and support thousands of green jobs.”

According to the DECC, the wind farm, which will be located about 26 miles from England’s Suffolk Coast, is projected to create nearly 2,900 jobs and provide a $873 million boost to the U.K. economy.

U.K. Approves Plans for What Could Become the World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm