An offshore wind farm capable of powering half a million homes has been given the green light by the energy and net zero secretary Claire Coutinho.
Awel y Môr, located off the North Wales coast, is being developed by RWE in a joint venture with Stadtwerke München (30%) and Siemens Financial Services (10%).
The wind farm will consist of up to 50 turbines at a maximum height of 332 metres.
Once finished the project will generate more than 500MW, with RWE claiming it will become Wales’ largest renewable energy project.
Following the decision by the secretary of state to award the Development Consent Order, RWE is now awaiting the granting of the necessary marine licence from Natural Resources Wales, in order to progress the project into construction.
Tamsyn Rowe, RWE project lead for Awel y Môr, said: “With the Development Consent Order for Awel y Môr now in place, we have achieved a major milestone on our journey towards delivering an offshore wind farm capable of powering more than half a million homes with clean, renewable energy.
“We hope to secure our marine licence in the coming months, plus carry out offshore site investigations on the seabed as we begin to finalise plans for construction. To that end, I would also encourage any company with an interest in potentially joining the supply chain for Awel y Môr to sign up to RWE’s Supplier Transparency Engagement Programme.”
Danielle Lane, RWE director of development for UK and Ireland, added: “Set alongside the UK’s first commercial scale offshore wind farm at North Hoyle, which RWE continues to operate, Awel y Môr is firmly at the heart of our plans for renewable energy generation.
“However, to make this happen, government will need to ensure a suitable CfD auction that is fit for purpose and capable of unlocking the fantastic clean energy and investment opportunities that Awel y Môr and our broader offshore wind portfolio represent for the UK’s supply chain and its ambitions to expand offshore wind, decarbonise the energy system and achieve net zero.”
The news that no offshore wind projects were included in the fifth allocation round of the Contracts for Difference scheme was met with dismay by many in the energy sector.
Speaking to Utility Week recently Scottish Power’s chief executive revealed his company could have bid 1.6GW of offshore wind projects in the latest auction had the price been right.
“If things had been different and the investment conditions had been right, we could have bid 1.6GW of projects into the auction – enough to provide 1.5 million homes with low-cost, green electricity – as part of our overall £10 billion plan for the East Anglia Hub of offshore wind developments,” Anderson explained.