PM welcomes £12bn ‘vote of confidence’ in offshore wind

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The Vanguard West and Vanguard East projects, off the Norfolk coast, will receive £1bn from the government’s national wealth fund  to bolster private funding from energy company RWE and investment firm KKR.

Welcoming the development, which aims to start producing electricity by 2030, Mr Burnham said: “This major investment in UK renewables is a vote of confidence for building in Britain.

“It is great news for billpayers because every turbine we put up is power under British control, not at the mercy of events on the other side of the world.

“With coastal communities from Scotland to East Anglia powering Britain’s future, the places that host this energy benefit from the jobs and opportunities that it brings.

“Our national wealth fund means that public investment is working alongside private capital to build homegrown energy and bring a return for the taxpayer.

“Because, for me, a clean energy future is one that brings down bills.”

The Norfolk announcement came alongside energy giant SSE’s announcement of its own plans to build offshore turbines and substation platforms 25 miles off the Scottish coast in the Firth of Forth, creating 80 SSE jobs in Glasgow and 50 manufacturing roles at Siemens Energy in Montrose Port.

The 1.4 gigawatt Berwick Bank B plan forms part of the firm’s wider Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm project, which when completed could generate 4.3GW of power, enough to power as many as seven million homes.

Welcoming the announcement, which brings the number of jobs linked to Berwick Bank up to 3,000, including nearly 1,000 north of the border, Scotland energy minister Stephen Gethins said it “underlines the scale of Scotland’s renewable energy potential.”

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “Investment in offshore wind and clean power is creating quality jobs and rebuilding industry, while delivering the clean power we need to lower bills and reach net zero.

“As the world gathers at Cop31, Britain is leading from the front as a renewable energy powerhouse, turning the fight against climate change into a brighter future for British companies, industrial communities and future generations.”

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