PM to announce winners of £100bn offshore wind job

This week Gordon Brown will announce the winning consortiums of a £100bn contract to build nine offshore wind zones, which could power most of the UK’s household energy and be the world’s most ambitious project of its kind to date.

Plans to build 3,500 wind turbines within the next 12 years will help the country reach its renewable energy targets.

However critics of the mega project are sceptical that construction will begin as planned in 2014 because of the difficulty and expense involved in building the turbines further offshore, and in deeper waters than previous wind energy projects.

Bidders for the contract, which include the six big energy firms in the UK, will be considered on their expertise, safety record and financial resources.

The Crown Estate, which manages UK waters, will announce the winning bid in Exeter this week, and Gordon Brown is expected to use the event highlight the economic potential of taking on large build projects.