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Two new wind farms located off the coast of Norfolk have been given the go ahead by the government.
Race Bank (580MW) and Dudgeon (560MW) in the Greater Wash are expected to generate enough electricity to power around 730,000 homes and bring the total capacity of the UK's offshore wind power that is either operational, under construction or consented to 6.6GW.
However, a third project at Docking Shoal will not go ahead because it would disturb a population of sandwich terns, which are protect by law.
"We have … shown that we are mindful of other consequences, such as the impact on bird populations, in deciding that it would not be appropriate to consent all three applications," explained Charles Hendry, the minister of state for energy.
Docking Shoal is not the only to have been turned down. In Scotland, the government recently refused permission for a 30-turbine farm in the Highlands based on the impact it would have on households in the area.
Author: Editor Gavin Pearson (gpearson@acenet.co.uk or 0207 202 0255)
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