Power firm plans Humber wind farm

The 83 turbines would be sited just north of the Humber estuary

Plans to build one of the UK's biggest wind farms off the East Yorkshire coast have been unveiled.

Power firm E.ON said the development five miles (8km) off the Humber estuary would be capable of providing electricity to almost 200,000 homes.

Up to 83 turbines would produce 300 megawatts of "green" energy.

E.ON UK chief executive Paul Golby said: "When built, this wind farm will will play a vital role in the fight against climate change."

He said it would displace the emission of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, helping the government to meet tough renewable energy targets.

Technically complex

"But this scheme represents just one of the billions of pounds-worth of investments we're making in the UK, all of which are designed to help keep the lights on while also reducing carbon emissions," he added.

The company said the planning process for the "technically complex" project was starting with a series of consultation meetings with representatives from the local fishing industry and coastline communities.

Robin Oakley, senior campaigner for Greenpeace, said: "Renewable energy schemes such as this are vital if the huge threat of global warming is to be tackled.

"However, it's a bit rich of E.ON to be claiming that all their investments are designed to help reduce carbon emissions when they're trying their utmost to build climate-trashing coal power stations in the UK."