Government throws its weight behind offshore wind power expansion

The government will throw its weight behind an expansion in the use of offshore wind power in the hope the renewable energy source will provide a third of the UK’s electricity by 2030. In a deal between the government and the offshore wind sector, industry players have agreed to invest £250m over the next 11 years in exchange for participation in £557m of state subsidies for renewable energy. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the deal could result in the number of jobs in offshore wind tripling to 27,000 by 2030, boosting the economies of coastal communities near major projects. Wind and solar must be tripled between now and 2030. John Sauven, Greenpeace UK The government also hopes the deal will cement Britain’s leading position in the technology and has set a target of boosting exports in the sector fivefold to £2.6bn a year. The UK already hosts the world’s largest offshore windfarm, off the coast of Yorkshire, which began powering the grid a month ago. Reaching a target of more than 30% of electricity coming from offshore wind would also mean that 70% of Britain’s energy would be from renewable sources by the end […]

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