The government has approved plans to build an offshore windfarm capable of powering about 1m British homes before the end of the decade.
The plan to extend the Rampion offshore windfarm by adding 90 turbines off the Sussex coast is expected to add about 1.2 gigawatts of clean power for British households and businesses.
It could also create 4,000 jobs in the construction phase of the project, known as Rampion 2, which is expected to begin next year.
The government’s decision on the project, originally expected in February this year, was postponed in order for the government to request more information from its developer, RWE. The project also faced local concerns over its impact on tourism.
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, said: “The UK has a boundless supply of wind that cannot be turned on and off at the whims of dictators and petrostates. It’s time to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster, roll out clean power, protect our energy security and bring down bills for good.”
The green light for Rampion 2 means the current government has now approved enough new clean energy projects to power 1.8m British households since it came to power in July last year.
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Its ambitious clean power agenda includes plans to double the UK’s onshore wind, triple its solar power and quadruple its offshore wind power capacity by the end of the decade. It hopes to relegate gas plants to just 5% of the UK’s electricity generation by 2030 to create a clean power system.
“This project puts us within reach of our clean power offshore wind target,” Miliband said. “Through our plan for change we’re getting on with delivering the clean energy and jobs Britain needs.”
Umair Patel, the project leader of Rampion 2, said the windfarm could generate “about three-quarters of all the electricity demands for the whole of Sussex and help generate jobs during construction and operation”.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Sussex community for their input over the past four years, helping us to refine and adapt the proposals to create the best possible project for this site, for the community and the environment,” Patel said.
