UK government approval to build world’s largest offshore wind farm

The UK government has given the go-ahead for the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, a £6 billion project developed by Danish utility Dong Energy.

The Hornsea Project Two, made up of 300 giant turbines and situated about 89 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast in north east England, is expected to generate enough electricity for 1.6 million homes.

Dong Energy is already building a smaller site nearby. Together both projects cover an area of sea more than twice the size of London.

“Britain is a global leader in offshore wind, and we’re determined to be one of the leading destinations for investment in renewable energy,” Business and energy secretary Greg Clark said.

The approval is a vote of confidence for the offshore wind industry, which faces uncertainty after Britain voted to leave the EU on 23 June.

The prospect of Brexit has cast doubt on several large infrastructure projects. Portugal's Energias de Portugal said it could delay its Moray Firth offshore wind energy project in Scotland and German engineering giant Siemens said it was reconsidering plans for an expansion of its planned manufacturing plant in the port of Hull in north east England.

Britain is the world's biggest offshore wind market and it is expected that offshore wind will meet 10 per cent of the UK's electricity demand by 2020.