The Department for Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has granted ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall consent to develop the 1.2 GW East Anglia One offshore wind farm in the U.K.
According to the DECC, the developers currently plan to install up to 240 turbines, meaning the project would be significantly larger than the current largest wind farm in the world, the 630 MW London Array, which is also in the U.K.
"East Anglia and the rest of the U.K. have a lot to gain from this development," says DECC Secretary Ed Davey. "The project has the potential to inject millions of [British pounds] into the local and national economies and support thousands of green jobs."
Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower Renewables, adds, "This is the largest renewable energy project ever to receive planning consent in England and Wales, and it is a significant achievement to see our plans approved, and an important step forward toward a final investment decision."
The developers anticipate that onshore construction could begin in 2017, with offshore work starting in 2018 and first power generation achieved in 2019.
