Offshore projects, more appealing to those who believe land-based turbines are a blot on the landscape, are avoiding some of the local resistance from planners which have long bedevilled onshore schemes. With developers eyeing three main strategic sites in England – the Greater Wash, the Thames Estuary and north-west England – several projects are expected to come online in the next few years. The offshore projects currently planned, together with those already in operation, could supply a total of 20 gigawatts of clean electricity, amounting to 17 per cent of the UK’s total electricity supply.
As well as the five offshore wind farms currently in operation, another 10 have won approval and eight are at the planning stage. One of the biggest in the offing is the Lynne/Inner Dowsing project in Lincolnshire. It comprises two adjacent wind farms acquired by Centrica in December 2003, which are being built 5km (3 miles) off the Skegness coast. The two 90-megawatt farms are together expected to provide enough power for more than 130,000 homes and to reduce CO2 emissions significantly.