Wind-farms boost hope as coastal licences go on the block

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The Crown Estate announced plans today for the latest sell-off of licences for foreshores and seabeds, which will allow the construction of wind farms around the coast.

Some experts believe the licences could bring a massive windfall for the Treasury, with income topping £100 million a year.

Industry body the British Wind Energy Association says the latest licensing round will accelerate the take-up of offshore wind. It believes wind farms capable of producing 25 gigawatts of electricity will be in place by 2020 - an ambitious target which would see about a third of Britain's electricity generated from wind.

However, that claim comes as storm clouds gather over the viability of wind energy. Energy giant Shell last month pulled out of Britain's single biggest planned wind farm, the London Array project in the Thames estuary with more than 300 turbines capable of producing more than a gigawatt of electricity, or up to a quarter of the daily demand from the capital's homes.

Shell indicated it could not make the economics of the £2 billion project work. Experts believe construction and maintenance costs are far greater than many expect, while much of the world's manufactured turbines is being bought up by the US and China.