UK wind power use to increase

In a speech last week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown laid out a plan to build 4,000 onshore and 3,000 offshore wind turbines by 2020.

..the most drastic change in our energy policy since the advent of nuclear power..

Gordon Brown

Prime Minister

Mr Brown described the proposals as "the most drastic change in our energy policy since the advent of nuclear power" and will help the UK meet its target of obtaining one-third of electricity needs from renewable sources.

Due to the scale of the development, Mr Brown said the North Sea would become the global centre for offshore wind power generation.

The Prime Minister also claimed the proposals could create up to 160,000 jobs and attract firms looking to invest in the renewable energy sector.

Speaking about the proposals, John Hutton, the business secretary, told the Daily Telegraph: "The scale of it is unprecedented in the history of our country since the Industrial Revolution.

He also revealed that six per cent of the country's electricity could be generated through biomass power plants, while he plans to call for biofuels to be used in aircraft and trains and to remove carbon from power generation entirely by 2050.