Climate change action plan 2021-23

Wind
The UK Government has been openly supporting the
development of offshore wind for several years and in
2020 the UK’s Energy Minister has pledged to increase
offshore wind production by 4 times from its existing
level by 2030 30 . This level of support has allowed a
young industry to grow exponentially over the last
decade and this growth is expected to continue into
the next decade. Blyth already hosts the offshore
energy catapult which provides expertise and
development to the industry. Northumberland County
Council through its connections with The Port of Blyth
and Advance Northumberland will support the
industry and seek to increase local employment in
this growing industry and seek inward investment into
the county.
Onshore wind has been divisive over the past decade,
balancing the need for clean, renewable and cheap
energy against the visual impacts of the turbines.
Onshore wind still presents the most cost-effective
form of energy generation, but as turbine sizes
increase to generate greater amounts of power within
smaller footprints of land it increases the visual
impact. Northumberland County Council has set out
its position for onshore wind within the local plan. To
provide a full range of options for the decarbonisation
of the county onshore wind cannot be ruled out,
however where alternatives exist it will not be prioritised.
Blyth estuary already benefits from an onshore wind
turbine providing power to the national grid. Options
have been discussed for increasing the number of
turbines in that area and utilising the power directly
within Blyth. This presents a real opportunity should
the mine water district heat network be installed in
Blyth as a centralised energy centre could be powered
by the onshore wind directly presenting an opportunity
for zero carbon heat to be produced. It may also be
possible for any excess to be used within local buildings
as clean power. This presents a major opportunity to
decarbonise Blyth town and hence Northumberland
County Council will explore this in line with the other
opportunities being explored through Future High
Streets Fund, Blyth Town Deal, Energy Parks
Development and Port of Blyth’s ongoing investment.
30
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-plans-to-make-uk-world-leader-in-green-energy
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Climate Change Action Plan 2021-23