Plans for what could be the world’s largest offshore wind farm have been given the green light by Britain's energy secretary.

An array of up to 400 turbines may be built 80 miles off the Yorkshire coast on the Dogger Bank. The so-called Dogger Bank Creyke Beck project could cover 430 sq miles and its turbines could have an electric generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts (MW).

The project, which would be more than twice the size of the UK’s current largest offshore wind farm, could cost £6-£8 billion ($9.26-$12.34 billion) and could meet 2.5% of the UK’s electricity needs.

Dogger has a shallow seabed some 30 meters deep, which should make it relatively easy to lay foundations and construct large turbines, but no company has yet ventured into the area.

If built, the Creyke Beck turbines would be the farthest offshore that have been attempted.

Construction of the first turbines could still be years away, however. The Forewind consortium, which is behind the project, has yet to make a final investment decision. The consortium comprises Scottish and Southern Energy, Germany’s RWE, and Norway’s Statoil and Statkraft. About £60 million has been spent by the companies on surveys alone.

The UK currently has about 1,200 offshore wind turbines, with a total generating capacity of about 4,000 MW.

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