Extracts from the March-April 2003 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

3. Offshore wind plan

The government has launched a consultation paper on how to develop the UK’s vast offshore wind resource. It identifies three major priority regions - the Thames estuary, the greater Wash in East Anglia and the NW coastline stretching from the Solway Firth to N. Wales. Energy Minister Brian Wilson said that the next round of bids to develop offshore wind farms should focus "on the three strategic zones which offer the best development potential", although other proposals would still be considered. In order to speed up development the government is preparing strategic environmental assessments of the three strategic areas.

Wilson said: ‘In theory, the three strategic areas could source enough electricity to power the whole of Britain. With a domestic market in place, we will also be able to contribute to developments around the world. The global market for offshore renewables is predicted to be worth £8bn by 2007, mainly in Europe.’

For the UK, at present there is a 12-mile territorial limit and going beyond that would require new legislation- similar to that for North sea oil and gas exploration. Nick Goodall of the British Wind Energy Association, told the Guardian that "even in our territorial waters we have the potential to produce three times the electricity we need but it is much more than that if wind farms straddle over the 12-mile limit. Realistically we are looking at 8% of UK’s power coming from offshore wind by 2010, rising to 20 to 30% in another 10 years."

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