New floating wind farms will be built off the UK coast under Boris Johnson’s plans to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and tackle the climate crisis.
The Prime Minister is committing £160 million in funding to kickstart the building of large-scale offshore wind ports and factories in Scotland and Wales.
Unlike typical wind turbines which are anchored to the floor, floating farms tend to be tethered to the seabed by mooring lines so they can be placed in deeper waters where gusts are stronger.
Developers and manufacturers will be able to bid for a share of the funding under Mr Johnson’s plans to kickstart new projects in the emerging industry while creating new jobs.
The Prime Minister announced the cash ahead of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow where he will urge world leaders to redouble their efforts to halt the environmental crisis.
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “This investment will help to attract further private sector backing to boost our industrial heartlands.
“It will create and support thousands of good quality jobs ensuring they remain at the forefront of the next generation of clean energy as we build back greener.
“Floating offshore wind is key to unlocking the spectacular wind energy resource we enjoy in the UK, particularly in the deep waters around the coasts of Scotland and Wales.”
The world’s first floating offshore wind farm was built off the coast of Aberdeenshire and started generating electricity in 2017.
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The business department said the strong winds in deep waters off Wales in the Celtic Sea presents a “major development opportunity” for new farms.
Mr Johnson hopes the new investment will help hit his target of delivering one gigawatt of energy through offshore wind by 2030.
