Offshore wind

Centrica, the parent of British Gas, has received official consent to build a 250MW offshore wind farm off the Lincolnshire coast.

The project would, subject to investment approval, be capable of supplying around 170,000 British Gas customers and delivering CO₂ savings of between 300,000 and 710,000 tonnes per annum.

UK government approval to build the farm 8km off the coast east of Skegness follows the submission last year of a detailed application for consent, including a full environmental statement.

If built, it would be situated next to the company's recent offshore wind farm developments at Lynn and Inner Dowsing, currently the biggest offshore wind farm development in the world.

Centrica acquired the so-called Lincs project in 2003 from wind farm developer Renewable Energy Systems (RES), which was responsible for the initial proposal. Centrica has retained the services of RES under development services agreements.

The construction and commissioning of the 194MW Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farms has taken Britain into the lead in world offshore wind stakes, bringing UK installed capacity to a total of 597MW.