Britain moves closer to green energy goals

LONDON (Reuters) - One of Europe's largest onshore wind farms has won Scottish planning approval and the world's largest offshore wind project now has two committed backers, boosting Britain's chances of reaching its ambitious green energy goals.

Scottish & Southern Energy has been granted planning permission to build a 456-megawatt wind farm in southern Scotland, while Denmark's Dong Energy and Germany's E.ON will buy Royal Dutch Shell's unwanted stake in the 1,000 MW London Array offshore wind scheme.

The future of the London Array plan to supply some 750,000 homes with electricity from 341 turbines in the outer Thames Estuary had been in doubt since Shell pulled out earlier this year, citing escalating costs.

"We're pleased that, together with DONG Energy, we've been able to secure the future of the project," Paul Golby, Chief Executive of E.ON UK, said on Monday.

"We hope to be able to keep the project on track and we should be able to complete the first phase by the end of 2012, subject to securing a number of important contracts, such as those for the wind turbines."

E.ON and Dong Energy will become 50:50 partners in the project after buying out the third partner for an undisclosed sum.

The government needs wind power to grow rapidly over the next decade to stand any chance of reaching tough European Union renewable energy targets for 2020.

But planning, grid connection and turbine supply problems have frustrated growth to date.

Approval for SSE's 600 million pound Clyde wind scheme in South Lanarkshire, comes three months after Scottish Ministers rejected plans for what would have been Europe's largest onshore wind farm on the Isle of Lewis, citing concerns over its impact on local wildlife.