U.K. Plans Large Wind Project to Meet Renewable Energy Goals by 2020

The British government has announced a major offshore wind power project that would place 5,000 wind turbines at 11 sites along the English, Scottish, and Welsh coasts and would eventually supply 33 gigawatts of power, meeting a quarter of the nation’s electricity needs.

The Crown Estate, which manages the seabed around Britain, unveiled the plan and said it would help wind energy companies defray up to 50 percent of start-up costs, including finding suitable turbines and connecting to the nation’s electricity grid. The Crown Estate said the planning and approval process should be completed by 2015 and that the 11 sites should be in operation by 2020, supplying Britain with most of the renewable energy it needs to meet a European Union goal of obtaining 20 percent of the EU’s power from renewable sources by 2020.