Shell plans giant Thames wind farm

AMBITIOUS plans were unveiled today for a vast wind farm in the Thames estuary capable of supplying a quarter of London's electricity needs.

The £1.5bn project would involve the construction of hundreds of 300ft turbines 12 miles off the Kent coast, making it the world's biggest wind farm.

However, the announcement is set to trigger concern about the potential impact on marine and bird life and the risk to shipping in the area.

A planning application for what would be Britain's most ambitious green energy project was lodged with local authorities and the Government today. If permission is granted, the first of the 270 turbines would be built in 2008, with the project due to be completed by 2011.

The development is a joint venture between energy giants Shell, German giant E.On, which owns Powergen, and an Anglo-Danish company, Core. Erik Kjaer Sorenson, director of Core, said: 'This project will supply the equivalent of a quarter of London's domestic load and will surely, once and for all, bury the myth that wind energy is insignificant. It is merely the first of a number of similar-sized wind power schemes that will place the UK market at the forefront of offshore renewable energy development worldwide.'

The development, known as London Array, would just be visible to the naked eye on a clear day from the Kent and Essex coasts.

The turbines could generate as much as 1,000 megawatts of electricity, equivalent to a large conventional gas or coal-burning power station. That would be enough to supply 750,000 homes, equivalent to the population of Kent and East Sussex combined or 25% of London.

Britain is regarded as the most 'windy' country in Europe, with the greatest potential for harnessing wind power. However, many existing land-based schemes have generated furious opposition from local residents, particularly in Scotland. The prospects for offshore schemes are thought to be much more promising because the turbines can be bigger and there is little visual impact.

The London Array project will provide about 1% of the nation's electricity needs. The Government wants the UK to produce 10% of its power from renewable sources by

2010. London Array said it had submitted a 400-page environmental impact study with its application. A spokeswoman said there was 'a constructive dialogue' with bodies such as the RSPB, which is worried about interference with bird life in the Thames estuary.

The site had been selected to avoid shipping activity, she said. 'There are very few vessel movements across the proposed wind farm area.'

The project has won the support of environmental campaign groups Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Stephen Tindale, executive director of Greenpeace, said: 'The Government's chief scientific officer, Sir David King, considers climate change to be the greatest challenge our planet has ever faced. It is crucially important we clean up the way we generate our energy and that means developing renewables like wind power as quickly as possible.'