By Matthew Legg Business editor

Last updated 09:28, Saturday, 06 September 2008

CUMBRIA has been placed firmly at the forefront of the UK’s offshore windfarm industry after the Government gave the go-ahead for a mammoth 139 turbine development off the county’s coast.

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Speech: Gordon Brown

The West of Duddon Sands windfarm, eight miles off Walney Island, Barrow, will create enough electricity to power 372,000 homes and will be one of the largest windfarms constructed in British waters.

The scheme also represents a key plank in the £2bn Energy Coast plan for the west coast of Cumbria and will contribute a significant chunk of the area’s power producing capacity.

Perhaps more importantly, it places renewable energy at its heart and assuages criticism of the project as a flimsy cover for an expansion in the nuclear sector.

A campaign is already underway to get the Government to build a new generation nuclear reactor on the Sellafield site, keeping skilled, well-paid jobs in the county.

The entire regeneration masterplan includes the creation of 16,000 jobs and would make Cumbria a world leader in energy production.

Supporters say the vision would pump an estimated £800m into the county’s economy – with these latest offshore developments a major step forward in helping realise that.

The Walney Island windfarm will include turbines of up to 600ft, almost 100ft taller than the 518ft-high Blackpool Tower. They will be spread across an area between eight and 14 miles from the Walney coast.

Hundreds of jobs will be created in the building phase, but only about 30 of those will be full-time positions for locals.

The West of Duddon Sands scheme will be more than twice the size of the £325 million Robin Rigg windfarm off the coast of Maryport. Foundations are now in place for nine turbines at Robin Rigg and E.on, the company building it, hopes to finish by the middle of next year.

Mr Brown made the Walney Island announcement in a speech to the Scottish CBI conference in Glasgow on Thursday night.

He said: “At up to 139 turbines, it will be one of the UK’s largest, providing the equivalent of all the homes in Glasgow and Dundee with clean, green electricity, and helping to give the UK the highest operating offshore wind capacity in the world.”

As Mr Brown made his speech, Furness MP and business secretary John Hutton was giving the go-ahead for another windfarm – a 30-turbine project nearer the Walney coast.

Thirty turbines are already operating off Walney and building work will begin on a further 150 turbine windfarm next year.

Mr Hutton said: “These windfarms demonstrate our commitment to dramatically increase the amount of energy we generate from renewable sources, helping to cut the UK’s carbon emissions and secure our energy supplies.

“West of Duddon Sands will be one of the three largest windfarms approved to date and will help provide a significant contribution towards our renewable energy targets.”

Morecambe Wind Limited, a consortium of Scottish Power, Eurus Energy and Danish firm DONG Energy, is the outfit behind the West of Duddon Sands scheme.

It expects the scheme to be completed by 2012 and claims it will eventually create enough power to run 372,000 homes.

Local regeneration firm Furness Enterprise says it is disappointed more local jobs have not been created by the developments.

Chief executive Harry Knowles said: “It has been very difficult for UK companies to break into the turbine manufacturing supply chain so I do not expect a significant number of jobs to come from this development.”

The Energy Coast plan, launched in July, also includes plans for a new acute hospital and improved road and rail links.

Both the Cockermouth-based National Skills Academy for Nuclear and the North West Nuclear Academy, due for completion in February next year at Lillyhall, are expected to play major roles in realising Cumbria’s vision.

MLegg@cngroup.co.uk