DONG Energy today welcomed the announcement that it has been selected as the preferred partner of the Isle of Man government to develop a new offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea.

The proposed site of the wind farm is off the east coast of the Isle of Man within the 12-mile limit of the island's territorial sea. The agreement for lease would be in respect of the 700MW Project Option for delivery in 2023.

Brent Cheshire, DONG Energy UK Country Chairman said:

'We welcome the announcement that we are the preferred bidder for this project which is an exciting and substantial opportunity in an area we know well. This is a positive step towards strengthening our offshore wind pipeline beyond 2020 and we look forward to further exploring this opportunity.'

The Isle of Man estimate that leasing parts of the seabed for renewable energy generation will boost the island's  public funds by at least ?5 million a year and create more than 50 new local jobs.

Phil Gawne MHK, Minister for the Isle of Man's Department of Infrastructure, commented:

‘I am delighted that DONG Energy has been selected as our preferred partner to develop an offshore wind farm in the Isle of Man.

‘DONG Energy is the global market leader in offshore wind farm developments and, with the recent commission of West of Duddon Sands, now operate seven offshore wind farm projects in the UK. They were successfully selected based on a technical and economic assessment.'