Emily
Gosden, energy
editor
16
AUGUST 2016 • 2:24PM
A£6bn
project to build the world's largest offshore wind farm off the coast of
Yorkshire has been granted planning consent, despite warnings from the
RSPB that it would kill hundreds of seabirds.
The
Hornsea Two wind farm would see up to 300 turbines built 55 miles offshore and
could generate up to 1.8 gigawatts of power, enough to power about 1.6m
homes.
The
project could be up and running by the mid-2020s but will first need to secure
a subsidy contract from the Government to guarantee Danish developer
Dong Energy billions of pounds in financial support from UK energy
bill-payers.
It
would be built adjacent to Dong Energy's 174-turbine Hornsea One
wind farm, which is itself due to be the world's biggest to date when
completed in 2020 and has already secured a contract for an estimated £4.2bn in subsidies.
The
RSPB said the planning approval for Hornsea Two was
"devastating" as the turbines would be directly in the
flight path of gannets and kittiwakes that nest in protected wildlife
areas between Flamborough Head and Filey Cliffs, resulting in the
"unnecessary death" of hundreds of birds.
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