29 August 2007 13:15
E.ON UK announces plans to build one of UK’s largest wind farms off the Yorkshire coast

E.ON UK, one of the country's leading green generators, has announced plans to build a multi-million pound offshore wind farm over 8km off the coast of East Yorkshire, just north of the Humber estuary.

The proposed Humber Gateway Offshore Wind Farm would have up to 83 turbines and produce up to 300MW of clean, green energy, enough to power up to 195,000 homes - more than one and a half times the number of homes in Hull.

Dr Paul Golby, Chief Executive of E.ON UK, said: "When built, this wind farm will be one of the biggest in the UK and will play a vital role in the fight against climate change.

"It will displace the emission of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and will make a significant contribution to helping us meet the Government's tough renewable energy targets.

"But this scheme represents just one of the billions of pounds worth of investments we're making in the UK, all of which are designed to help keep the lights on while also reducing carbon emissions.

"To do this, as well as harnessing wind power, we're changing the way that we look at energy in the UK by developing other lower-carbon technologies which will play a key role in securing our energy for tomorrow.

"We're nearing the completion of the UK's largest dedicated biomass plant at Steven's Croft in Scotland, looking at developing cleaner coal technology and developing marine power schemes.

"By embracing all options, we can make a real difference."

E.ON is committed to reducing its carbon intensity of its emissions by 10% by 2012. This builds on the existing achievement of reducing carbon intensity by 20% since 1990.

To achieve its goal, E.ON is changing energy for the better and investing for a low-carbon future. Its plans include:

• £700m for gas-fired power stations at the Isle of Grain in Kent (which is currently being built) and at Drakelow in Derbyshire;
• £1bn for a cleaner coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent;
• £325m on building the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm in the Solway Firth;
• Gas storage facility at Holford in Cheshire and at Aldbrough in the East Riding of Yorkshire;
• £90m on building the UK's largest dedicated biomass power station at Steven's Croft in Lockerbie.
  

Consultation with the local stakeholders has already begun and the company will also be holding a series of public exhibitions to hear local views.  

Combined, E.ON's renewable portfolio generates enough green energy to supply the homes in a city the size of Manchester.

Ends

Notes to editors:

• E.ON is the UK's largest integrated power and gas company - generating, distributing and retailing electricity - and is part of the E.ON group, the world's largest private-sector energy services company. We employ around 16,000 people in the UK;
• As one of the greenest generators in the UK, E.ON has 20 wind farms located from Cornwall to Northern Ireland. We also burn biomass material mixed with coal in two of our power stations and are currently building the UK's largest dedicated biomass power station at Lockerbie. We own the largest hydro power station in England and Wales;
• Our retail business, branded Powergen, is a leading energy supplier in the UK, with around 8.1 million electricity and gas customer accounts, both domestic and SME.

For more information contact:

Jonathan Smith on 024 7618 3676

Rebecca Middleton on 024 7618 3677

A 3D animation of the project is available to broadcast media