Cameron praises E.ON's £736m wind scheme
Prime Minister David Cameron has praised Coventry energy giant E.ON for unveiling a £736m wind farm plan for off the coast of East Yorkshire.
The scheme will involve a 73 turbines capable of generating up to 219MW of electricity - enough to power up to 170,000 homes.
It is set to create up to 1,000 jobs during construction and a further 30 roles to operate and maintain the wind farm once complete, E.ON said.
Tony Cocker, chief executive officer of E.ON, said: "This isn't just an important announcement for E.ON, but is also a significant announcement for the UK.
"Increasing the proportion of electricity we generate from low carbon, renewable sources is a vital part of meeting the energy challenges we all face."
Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I welcome E.ON's significant investment, which is a vote of confidence in renewable energy and in the UK market.
"It will create a thousand jobs in the next few years, spearhead development of the UK's fast growing offshore wind supply chain and strengthen links between the UK and Germany in renewables and grid."
The Humber Gateway project is to be based 8km off the East Yorkshire coast, just north of the mouth of the River Humber. Further works at the site are set to begin in March with construction of the onshore substation, with a view to completing the project in spring 2015.
