PLANS for a windfarm off the North-East coast were last night given the go-ahead.

EDF Energy received consent from the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) for its offshore windfarm project at Redcar.

The windfarm will consist of up to 30 turbines capable of producing up to 90 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply about 60,000 households.

The approval means EDF Energy can proceed to the next development phase of its EDF Energy Northern Offshore Wind scheme.

Over the past four years, the company has been consulting local residents, councils and national groups on the proposed development.

EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz said: "We are very pleased with DBERR's decision, which marks an important milestone for the project.

"We have been consulting on our plans extensively with local groups for over four years, and we would like to thank all those who took part for their valued input.

"EDF Energy has a long-term commitment to maintaining a diverse and sustainable energy mix in the future, involving all types of generation, including renewables.

"We believe this diversity is crucial to address climate change, for security of supply and to provide competitively priced electricity for all our customers.

"We recently announced our climate commitments, which set out our plans to transform our business to help tackle climate change.

"A key commitment is that over the next five years, EDF Energy and its affiliates will invest in around 1,000 megawatts of UK renewable energy production.

"The project proposed for Redcar will play an important role in helping to achieve these targets and will help lead the way in providing low-carbon energy for current and future generations."

EDF Energy wants to build 30 turbines off Coatham Sands. Although still in the planning stages, the turbines are expected to be about 2.3km offshore, and about 70 metres above sea level.