Eight major renewable electricity projects have been unveiled which will support 8500 renewables jobs and provide up to £12Bn of private sector investment by 2020.
The projects include offshore wind farms, coal to biomass conversions and a dedicated biomass plant with combined heat and power. These could add a further 4.5GW of low carbon electricity to Britain’s energy mix (around 4% of capacity), generating enough clean electricity to power over three million homes.
The eight schemes have been offered under Contracts for Difference (CfD), which form part of Government’s Electricity Market Reform programme.
Energy and climate change secretary Edward Davey said: “These contracts for major renewable electricity projects mark a new stage in Britain’s green energy investment boom.
“By themselves they will bring green jobs and growth across the UK, but they are a significant part of our efforts to give Britain cleaner and more secure energy.”
Offshore windfarm projects unveiled are Beatrice in Outer Moray Firth, Burbo Bank in Liverpool Bay, Dudgeon north of Cromer, Hornsea off the east Yorkshire coast and Walney off Walney island. The announcement also included a second Drax biomass conversion unit in Selby, Lynemouth biomass conversion in Ashington and Northumberland and Teesside biomass with combined heat and power in Middlesbrough.
Mr Davey said:“These are the first investments from our reforms to build the world’s first low carbon electricity market - reforms which will see competition and markets attract tens of billions of pounds of vital energy investment whilst reducing the costs of clean energy to consumers.
“It’s practical reforms like these that will keep the lights on and tackle climate change, by giving investors more certainty.”
