Middlesbrough Mayor welcomes planning fast-track for offshore wind

MIDDLESBROUGH Mayor Andy Preston says the Government’s decision to fast-track the planning process for new offshore wind farms is “great news for us and the whole country”.

Instead of taking four years to get approval, the Government has announced it will in future take only one year for offshore wind farms.

Mr Preston said the news will boost Teesside’s growing “centre of excellence” status for renewable technologies, coming hot on the heels of approval for plans to create the world’s largest offshore wind turbine manufacturing facility on Teesside.

Speaking at an event in Middlesbrough to promote open, progressive dialogue between the British public and their politicians about how to tackle climate change, Mr Preston said he was excited…

The news was one of several major announcements made under the Government’s British Energy Security Strategy, which sets out how Britain will accelerate the deployment of wind, new nuclear, solar and hydrogen power, and builds on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10-point plan, published in November 2020.

It comes hot on the heels of news earlier this month that planning approval has been given to the world’s largest offshore wind farm monopile factory, costing £300million.

South Korean steel manufacturer SeAH Wind is planning to build a giant 40-metre-tall offshore turbine base factory at Teesside’s Freeport.

The giant facility – the largest of its kind in the world, at over 800m in length – will offer 1.13million sq ft of high-quality factory space for the production of monopiles up to 120m in length, 15.5 m in diameter and weighing 3,000 tons, which are used to support offshore wind turbines.

The scheme will see the creation of 1,500 supply chain and construction jobs when work begins in July, along with a further 750 roles when the site is fully operational.

On top of slashed approval times for offshore wind farms, the new Government strategy also involves an overall streamlining to “radically reduce” the time it takes for new projects to reach construction stages while improving the environment.

Offshore wind prices have fallen by around 65 per cent since 2015.

The government claims its British Energy Security Strategy will increase the number of clean jobs in the UK by supporting:

• 90,000 jobs in offshore wind by 2028 (30,000 more than previously expected)
• 10,000 jobs in solar power by 2028 (almost double the government’s previous expectations)
• 12,000 jobs in the UK hydrogen industry by 2030 (3,000 more than previously expected).

However, the Strategy has also come in for some stiff criticism from organisations including Friends of the Earth, for its medium-term support of domestic oil and gas production – both heavy carbon polluters – and also of nuclear, which comes with long-term hazardous waste problems.

Despite onshore wind prices reducing by 50 per cent since 2013, consultations are yet to be held on developing partnerships with “a limited number of supportive communities who wish to host new onshore wind infrastructure in return for guaranteed lower energy bills”.