The U.K.'s Crown Estate has awarded 32 GW worth of offshore wind projects to developers as part of its Round Three offshore licensing process. Round Three offshore wind energy will be developed in nine zones and is expected to deliver a quarter of the U.K.'s total electricity needs by 2020.
All parties have now signed exclusive zone development agreements with the Crown Estate, which has responsibility for renewable energy in U.K. waters, to take the proposals through the planning and consenting phase.
‘This new round of licenses provides a substantial new platform for investing in U.K. industrial capacity,’ says U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown. ‘The offshore wind industry is at the heart of the U.K. economy's shift to low carbon.’
Developers that have signed the agreements include Siemens Project Ventures, Mainstream Renewable Power, E.ON Climate and Renewables and Centrica Renewable Energy.
SOURCE: The Crown Estate
