The east coast was last night looking forward to being a big winner when potential sites for the next generation of offshore windfarms are announced.
Proposed locations around the UK’s coastline are to be revealed today and a leading wind energy expert said he expected the east to be in a prime position to cash in further on an industry already worth £10bn to the region.
Adam Bruce, chairman of the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), said: “The southern part of the North Sea is an extremely key site for the future of offshore developments and the east will have a significant part to play in the operation and maintenance of windfarms.
“That stretch of the coastline can benefit from the long-term investment in the offshore renewable sector.”
The government revealed at the end of last year that thousands of extra wind turbines would be built off the coastline and today’s announcement will highlight the prime sites for development as the UK strives to produce 15pc of its energy through renewable sources by 2020.
Mr Bruce said developers had their sights firmly fixed on the east coast, particularly as its deep waters were ideal for wind turbines. He was speaking after a meeting staged yesterday in London to discuss the expanding renewable energy section, which will see the UK overtake Denmark as the world’s largest offshore producer by the end of the summer.
The eastern region has firmly embraced the green revolution, with sites such as Scroby Sands, off Yarmouth already in operation. The Greater Gabbard site off the Suffolk coast will become the world’s biggest offshore windfarm when its 140 turbines are completed in 2011 and Lowestoft is already reaping the rewards after it was lined-up as the project’s operations’ base.
Maria McCaffery, the BWEA’s chief executive, said: “There are no shortage of organisations with eye-watering amounts of money to invest.
“I believe this is too good an opportunity to miss. The wind industry is on the cusp of phenomenal growth and we must seize the opportunities with both hands.”
While yesterday’s meeting heard much optimism about the future of wind energy, BWEA chiefs insisted a number of obstacles had to be removed to ensure targets were met.
Of particular concern was the slow down in applications for onshore windfarms linked directly to objections from the Military of Defence (MoD) over fears developments will affect radar systems.
There have been several objections previously logged in Norfolk and BWEA figures revealed that 11 major schemes across the country have been delayed by six years, costing the industry an estimated £7m.
However, the MoD later withdrew its opposition to some of the Norfolk schemes and Ms McCaffery said she was confident of a national resolution following talks with the government.