Offshore windfarm

By Richard Wright

Friday, June 26, 2009

PART of the government masterplan for offshore windfarms is for the English Channel to the west of The Needles.

The site is understood to be off the Dorset coast — so that the new farm can be hooked up to the National Grid — not close to the Island.

Government on Wednesday announced a bidding process for companies to install 7,000 more turbines on leased sites including the North Sea’s Dogger Bank, the Irish Sea and the English Channel. It is envisaged thousands of jobs would be created.

It is the government which has proposed the offshore farms and government that will make a decision on whether they will go ahead in a bid to generate enough power for millions of homes by 2020.

The Isle of Wight Council said it expected to be involved as one of the consultees if firm proposals came from the bidding round.

Reporter: richardw@iwcpmail.co.uk