The UK Government has given development consent to Hornsea offshore wind project, which will consist of three wind-generating stations with a combined capacity of up to 1,200MW.

Once operational, the Hornsea Project One is expected to provide ample energy resources to suffice requirement of more than 800,000 homes in the UK.

The project will be located at 64 miles distance from the Yorkshire coast. It is one of eight renewable energy developments awarded a contract for difference (CFD) in April 2014.

The CFDs were a part of the UK Government’s initiatives to attract energy investments and lower renewable power charges for customers.

UK Planning Inspectorate chief executive Simon Ridley said: “The Examining Authority took full account of views from communities, particularly those near the north-east coast of England who might be affected by this proposal, alongside national policy and evidence of the need for the project.”

Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) Energy Secretary Ed Davey said: “Making the most of Britain’s home-grown energy is crucial to creating job and business opportunities in the UK, getting the best deal for consumers and reducing our reliance on foreign imports.

“Wind power is vital to this plan, with £14.5bn invested since 2010 into an industry which supports 35,400 jobs.”

SMart Wind, which is a 50:50 joint venture between Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures and DONG Energy, will be taking the project forward.

Fugro GeoConsulting has won a £13m contract for conducting geotechnical surveys for Project One, DECC informs.

Project One is a part of the wider Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm zone, which has energy capacity of 4GW.