Energy firms get go-ahead for UK wind farms

Britain on Monday approved bids by energy firms to boost the number of offshore wind farms, potentially helping the UK to move closer to hitting tough renewable energy targets.

The Crown Estate, an independent body which owns all the seabed within 12 nautical miles of the UK coast, said it was awarding exclusivity agreements to companies and consortia to develop wind farms on 10 sites in the sea around Scotland.
The sites could generate a total of more than six gigawatts of offshore wind power, it said, contributing to the UK’s bid to generate 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Britain generates about three gigawatts of energy from wind farms, enough to power more than 1.5 million homes. The government estimates the UK will need to generate about 28 gigawatts in this way to hit the 2020 target.

Reuters