Second round of UK wind farms announced

Three sites off the English coast are set to become home to the world's biggest wind farms. Trade secretary Patricia Hewitt announced that the new developments will provide enough power for one in six UK households. The Crown Estate and DTi have identified three strategic areas of shallow waters that provide the ideal environment for offshore wind turbines: Thames Estuary, Greater Wash on the east coast, and a stretch from Morecambe Bay to North Wales. Each site has undergone intensive environmental assessment to measure the impact of proposed development before they could be offered for leasing. This second round of wind farms will provide up to 6 GW of energy by 2010, enough to power 15% of all UK homes.

Hewitt said: "This announcement is a big step towards meeting our goals. Offshore wind has potential to provide a significant proportion of the UK's energy needs. It will help the UK renewables industry to grow, building on our world leading experience in offshore manufacturing, creating over 20 000 new jobs in manufacturing, installation and maintenance, as the wind farms take shape."

The British Wind Energy Association has welcomed the news. Chief executive Marcus Rand said: "We have the best wind resource in Europe and this announcement signals that we are now on track to seriously develop it." Rand estimates that this second round of projects could make up over half of the government's 2010 renewable energy target of 10%. Site leases for the wind farms will be awarded in the autumn with construction expected to begin in the next few years.