Round 3 offshore wind is good news for the South West
08 January 2010
The South West RDA and Regen SW have welcomed today's
announcement by Gordon Brown and the Crown Estate, of the winning
companies selected as development partners for the Round 3 Offshore
Wind farms.
This development marks a step-change in the deployment of
renewable energy in the UK and represents a great opportunity for
the south west.
Two offshore wind farm zones have been awarded in the south west
out of a total of nine nationally.
Swindon-based RWE npower renewables was the successful bidder
for the 1500 MW capacity "Atlantic Array" in the Bristol Channel
zone. This wind farm will be located 14 km off the coast of North
Devon.
The smaller West of Wight zone, which is located off the coast
of Dorset, has been awarded to the Dutch energy company Eneco.
By any measure these projects are huge. Together the south west
zones are expected to require capital investment in excess of £5
billion. To win these leases both companies had to convince the
Crown Estate that they had the capability and financial backing to
deliver their projects within a given timeframe.
Both companies will now begin the development process, including
stakeholder consultation and the environmental impact assessments
needed to obtain planning permission.
Together the nine Round 3 leases are expected to add 25 GW of
renewable energy capacity to the grid by 2020 and are a vital part
of the UK's commitment to meet its renewable energy targets.
Overall, the Round 3 programme is expected to cost between £75
billion and £100 billion and, according to estimates made by the
British Wind Energy Association and Crown Estate, could create up
to 60,000 jobs in the UK.
The levels of investment and potential job creation are
comparable with the expansion of offshore gas in the 1990s.
Claire Gibson, Director of Sustainable Resources at the South
West RDA, said: "Congratulations to the winning companies. We look
forward to working closely with them over the coming years. When
complete these projects will provide electricity sufficient to meet
the demand of over 1 million south west homes. This is fantastic
news for the region and will help to consolidate south west
England's position at the forefront of renewable energy
production."
With construction expected to commence in 2014 and last over 5
years, offshore wind has the potential to create thousands of
onshore and offshore jobs.
Johnny Gowdy, Head of Business Support at Regen SW, said: "In
some previous offshore developments the amount of local economic
benefit has been disappointing. But the South West, with its
heritage of marine and engineering industries, is in a very strong
position to reap the economic benefits of offshore renewables. We
now need to work closely with RWE npower renewables and Eneco, and
our south west businesses to ensure we have the capabilities,
people and infrastructure to support these projects."
As part of this effort the South West RDA, Regen SW and the
Crown Estate will be holding a Offshore Wind Supply Chain
conference in Bristol on 9th March
For more details see:
http://regensw.eventhq.co.uk/uk_offshore_wind_supply_chain_conference__
Notes to editors:
1. Planning and Consent. The award of the offshore leases does
not mean that the wind farm developers have been given planning
consent. The award of the Zone Development Agreement allows the
developer to begin the process of obtaining planning permission and
the necessary consents to build a wind farm.
2. The attached briefing
note provides more details about the two south west round three
zones.
3. The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable
economy, investing to unlock the region's business potential. It is
helping companies respond to the economic crisis and charts a
course for recovery. More information can be found at www.southwestrda.org.uk.
4. Regen SW is the sustainable energy agency for south west
England, receiving core funding from the South West RDA. Its
mission is to speed up the transition to a low-carbon economy in
South West England, by: unlocking sustainable-energy business
opportunities; accelerating the uptake of the region's renewable
energy resources; and championing effective energy-demand-reduction
initiatives in the region.
Contact:
Billy McKenna
Tel: 01392 229567
Email: billy.mckenna@southwestrda.org.uk