The UK has awarded contracts to build a record supply of offshore wind projects as part of its efforts to grow the country’s clean electricity sources.
The projects span England, Scotland and Wales, including what could be the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea.
But some analysts warn that despite the record haul of offshore wind, the government will still struggle to meet its 2030 “clean power” target.
The government argues that wind projects are cheaper than new gas power stations and will “bring down bills for good”, but the Conservatives have previously accused climate targets of raising energy costs.
The largest successful project is Berwick Bank in the North Sea, which is the largest planned offshore wind farm worldwide.
Other projects to be awarded contracts include the Dogger Bank South wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire and the Norfolk Vanguard project off the coast of East Anglia – while Awel Y Mor was the first successful Welsh project to in more than a decade.
The government wants at least 95% of Great Britain’s electricity to come from “clean” sources by 2030, partly to reduce emissions of planet-warming gases from fossil fuels. These clean sources include renewables – such as solar and wind – and nuclear energy.