LONDON, March 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
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New radar systems will help unlock 10 GW of offshore windin UK waters, powering thousands of homeswith clean, homegrown energy
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New technologysecures coexistence of air defence and offshore wind - enabling government to deliver its clean power mission while protecting national security
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This comes as the government launches a consultation today to unlock up to 6 GW of onshore wind capacity near theEskdalemuirseismic array in Scotland
Up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity will be unlockedas a result ofgovernment upgrades to air defence radars.
Following close collaboration with industry, the government has bought specially designed air defence radars, which will mitigate against anomalies currently created by offshore wind farms.
Thesenewradars, whichwillbeinstalled from early2029, willkeep the British people safe bymaintainingthe UK's air defence capability. Radars like these are a crucialpartof the UK's air defence, enabling the detection and identification of incursions and threats within UK airspace.They canalsocoexist with new offshore wind farms, without risk of interference- supporting both national and energy security.
This followsthe biggest single procurement of offshore wind energy in British and European history, in which the government secured a record 8.4 GW of capacity - enough to power 12 million homes - at a price 40% lower than the cost of building and running a new gas power plant. Byupgrading the radar systems, the government is ensuring that this record‑breakingoffshorecapacity can move from contract to construction.
Energy Minister, Michael Shankssaid:
Thisnew radartechnologywill unlock a key barrier holding back offshore wind farms,so that we candelivertheclean homegrown power needed to protect families from volatile fossil fuel markets,whilebolsteringour national security.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said:
We'recommitted to investing inmaintainingthe UK's national security. These new air defenceradars will enable the Royal Air Force tomonitorfor potential attacks from adversaries and help our Armed Forces protect the UK.
We're making defence an engine for growth across the country with the largest sustained defence spending increase since the Cold War, reaching 2.6% of GDP from 2027.
Benj Sykes, OWIC Board Sponsor for Aviation and Defence, and Vice President and UK Country Manager for Ørsted, said:
The Offshore Wind Industry Council welcomes the conclusion of procurement for a new air defence mitigation solution. This will ensure we are able to unlock over 10 gigawatts of wind energy by 2030, as well as billions of pounds of investment and thousands of jobs for the UK, without compromising our national defence. This is the culmination of a truly collaborative process over several years, with government and industry working in lockstep to deliver a solution that allows air defence and offshore wind to harmoniously co-exist.
This comes as the government today launches a consultation on unlocking up to6 GW of onshore wind capacity near theEskdalemuirseismic array in Scotland.
The proposals would block on onshore wind within 15km of the array, while easing planning rules in the surrounding area between 15km and 50km. This will enableEskdalemuirseismic array to continue its operations, while supporting national and energy security.
Notes to editors
* Link to Eskdalemuir consultation: Eskdalemuir seismic array: revised approach to managing onshore wind turbine interference - GOV.UK
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
