By KLTV Newsdesk – 

Government secures Europe’s largest ever offshore wind deal, unlocking billions in investment and thousands of jobs while cutting bills and boosting energy security

Britain has secured a record-breaking 8.4GW of offshore wind capacity in Europe’s largest ever offshore wind auction, marking a major milestone in the country’s drive to take back control of its energy and cut household bills.

Announced today by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the auction represents the biggest single procurement of offshore wind in British and European history.

The new capacity is enough to generate clean electricity to power the equivalent of more than 12 million homes.

A historic step towards clean power by 2030

The landmark result comes as the government races to meet its mission of delivering clean power by 2030, while responding to growing energy demand and reducing its reliance on global fossil fuel markets.

Ministers say the outcome firmly puts Britain on track to achieve energy sovereignty, lower bills for good and build a more resilient energy system.

Offshore wind undercuts gas on cost

New figures published alongside the auction results show offshore wind is significantly cheaper to build and operate than new gas-fired power stations.

Using the industry-standard Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) metric, the cost of building and operating a new gas power plant is £147 per megawatt hour.

By contrast, fixed offshore wind projects secured in the auction averaged £90.91 per megawatt hour – or £65.25 in 2012 benchmark prices – making offshore wind around 40% cheaper than new gas.

The capacity sold in the auction will be enough to power 12 million homes in the UK

£22 billion investment and jobs across the UK

The auction is expected to unlock around £22 billion in private investment and support approximately 7,000 skilled jobs across the country, from the Scottish Highlands to the Celtic Sea and industrial heartlands in England and Wales.

Winning projects span every part of the United Kingdom, including:

• Dogger Bank South off the coast of Yorkshire and Norfolk Vanguard off East Anglia, among the largest offshore wind farms in the world
• Berwick Bank in the North Sea, the first new Scottish offshore wind project since 2022 and the largest planned offshore wind project globally
• Awel Y Môr, the first Welsh offshore wind project to secure a contract in more than a decade

The auction also delivered significant progress in floating offshore wind, with projects including Erebus in the Celtic Sea and Pentland in Scotland, backed by investment from Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund.

Energy security in an unstable world

As electricity demand is expected to more than double by 2050, the government argues that accelerating homegrown clean power is essential to protect the UK from global energy shocks.

Fossil fuel price volatility has contributed to half of all recessions since the 1970s, with prices spiking by more than 15% in a single week in 2025 following instability in the Middle East.

Ministers say expanding offshore wind, alongside solar and onshore wind, will reduce exposure to such shocks while supporting long-term economic growth.

The announcement follows recent budget measures aimed at reducing energy bills, including the removal of an average of £150 in costs from household bills from April this year.

Ministers and industry welcome ‘historic win’

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the auction marked a turning point for the country’s energy future: “With these results, Britain is taking back control of our energy sovereignty.

“This is a historic win for those who want Britain to stand on our own two feet, controlling our own energy rather than depending on markets controlled by petrostates and dictators.

“It is a monumental step towards clean power by 2030, and the price secured in this auction is 40% lower than the alternative cost of building and operating a new gas plant.

“Clean, homegrown power is the right choice for this country to bring down bills for good, and this auction will create thousands of jobs throughout Britain.”