ScottishPower Renewables will press ahead with the 714MW East Anglia 1 offshore wind farm after the developer signed off on a £2.5bn final investment decision today.
The wind farm will comprise up to 102 of Siemens’ 7MW turbines some 43km off the coast of Suffolk.
When completed, the project will generate enough electricity to power around 500,000 homes. SPR aims to start construction in 2017, with the first turbines installed by 2019 and the project fully operational during 2020.
The developer also confirmed that the Port of Lowestoft will be home to the project for 30-plus years during construction and operation as part of a £25m deal.
East Anglia 1’s project director Charlie Jordan said: “East Anglia 1 will deliver substantial environmental benefits for the UK, it will stimulate considerable UK investment, and it will support thousands of jobs.
“Offshore wind has proven itself as a technology that works, and the more offshore wind capacity we have in the UK, the more secure our energy supplies will be.”
He added: “East Anglia has some of the best conditions anywhere in the world for the development of offshore wind, and we are fully committed to the region, with future developments already in the pipeline.
“ScottishPower Renewables is leading the way with its approach of actively working towards a target of at least 50% UK supply chain content over the lifetime of the East Anglia ONE project. We have already worked with a wide range of companies across East Anglia and we look forward to working with many more.”
Image: West of Duddon Sands (ScottishPower)
