The British government has approved the largest offshore wind farm in the country, to be based 7km off the North Wales coast. The North Hoyle facility will be constructed by next autumn by National Wind Power Ltd. (UK), with 30 Vestas turbines and a total capacity of up to 90MW. The proposal still needs a license from the Welsh National Assembly for the deposit of materials in sea waters and a permit from the Transport Department under the Coast Protection Act.
The facility will generate electricity for at least 50,000 homes, and will offset the annual emission of 180,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The government wants to create a billion-pound market for renewable energy by 2010, using the Renewables Obligation to require electricity suppliers to supply 10 percent of its power from renewables, compared with the current level of 2.8 percent. The government has also provided a three-year, £260.0 million, support program.
