A NEW wind farm off the coast of Suffolk has been given the green light, it has been announced.

Situated around 30km off the coast the Galloper wind farm will sit adjacent to the Greater Gabbard wind farm, currently under construction.

The extension is set to double the offshore wind power generated in the area, with both sites having a capacity of around 500MW.

RWE Npower Renewables and partners SSE Renewables last night welcomed the go ahead given to develop another wind farm in the North Sea.

Paul Coffey, chief operating officer of parent company RWE Innogy, highlighted the benefits of developing another source of renewable energy.

He said: “The opportunity to develop a wind farm close to the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm site has a number of advantages: we know that this is an excellent site for a wind farm – there is already the necessary infrastructure in place, and if consented one can benefit from the long-term operational and maintenance activities due to the close proximity of the two wind farms.’’

Paul Dowling, chief executive of SSE Renewables, said: “SSE is committed to becoming a major participant in the offshore wind market, and our current projects and success in securing development rights from The Crown Estate underline this. Galloper Wind Farm is an excellent addition to our portfolio of renewable energy development opportunities.”

The Crown Estate said it expects construction of the extensions to commence in 2014, with completion by the end of 2016.

In addition to the Galloper Wind Farm the Crown Estate approved expansion of four other wind farms off the coasts of Kent, Cumbria and Liverpool Bay, to provide enough power for an extra 1.4million homes.

All extensions will be subject to a full, new planning application, environmental impact assessment and consultation before construction can begin. RWE Npower Renewables said that along with SSE it expects to submit a planning application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission this year, with a view to gaining a decision by 2012.

The Greater Gabbard Wind Farm will be made up of around 140 wind turbines, installed in water depths of between 24 and 34 metres, connected to the onshore substation at Sizewell. When completed the wind farm is expected to have a capacity of 504MW, providing energy to around 415,000 homes, the equivalent to the approximate domestic demand of households in Suffolk.

The new Galloper Wind Farm is set to mirror its close neighbour in size and output capacity.