Up to 3.6 million UK homes are to be powered by renewable energy starting from 2021, the UK Government has announced.

Following the latest Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction for renewable technologies, 11 schemes worth up to £176m a year have been successful.

The projects, which are set to generate over 3GW of electricity, are to be delivered across Great Britain from Wales to the Scottish Highlands and the West Midlands from 2021. Developments include the Moray Offshore Windfarm (East) in Scotland, which will power over 980,000 homes from 2022/23, as well as the 300-turbine Hornsea Project Two scheme off the Yorkshire coast which is scheduled to be operational by 2022/23.

Minister for Energy and Industry, Richard Harrington, said: "We've placed clean growth at the heart of the Industrial Strategy to unlock opportunities across the country, while cutting carbon emissions.

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"The offshore wind sector alone will invest £17.5bn in the UK up to 2021 and thousands of new jobs in British businesses will be created by the projects announced today. This government will continue to seize these opportunities as the world moves towards a low carbon future, and will set out ambitious proposals in the upcoming Clean Growth Plan."

This investment will help the UK meet its climate targets while supporting jobs in Britain's growing renewable industry. The UK has the largest offshore wind capacity in the world and low carbon businesses have a combined turnover of £43 billion, employing 234,000 people.

Scottish Renewables' Deputy Chief Executive, Jenny Hogan, said: "The results of this latest auction are good news for Scotland, for our environment and for our energy system.

"The cost reductions seen in offshore wind in particular have been dramatic and are testament to the determination of developers to drive down costs. The scale of innovation taking place across the sector and its growing supply chain show the importance of ensuring a viable, competitive route to market is available for clean power technologies.

"The biomass CHP plant at Grangemouth has also demonstrated significant cost reduction. However, onshore wind and solar are currently excluded from competing in Contracts for Difference auctions. The government has the tools to drive down costs even further and these technologies can and should be allowed to play their role in delivering the government's own Industrial Strategy.

"We hope to see all renewable technologies getting the chance to bid in future auction rounds and to demonstrate just how cheap they can be."

(LM)