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divdiv class=story-body readability=39 span class=story-date#13; span class=date25 November 2013/span#13; span class=time-textLast updated at /spanspan class=time20:35 ET/span#13; #13; /span#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; p class=introduction id=story_continues_1Plans for a huge wind farm off the North Devon coast have been shelved./p#13; pDeveloper RWE Innogy is pulling the plug on the 240-turbine Atlantic Array project, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) told the BBC./p#13; pThe scheme, which had not yet received the go-ahead, had attracted criticism with environmentalists worried about its impact on marine wildlife in the Bristol Channel. /p#13; pNo-one at RWE Innogy was available for comment./p#13; div class=story-feature narrow#13; a class=hidden href=#story_continues_2Continue reading the main story/a h2 class=quote“spanStart Quote/span/h2#13; blockquote readability=2p class=first-childWe all need electricity, but there are more appropriate places”/p/blockquote#13; span class=endquoteEnd Quote/span#13; span class=quote-creditDerek Green/span#13; span class=quote-credit-titleManager of Lundy Island nature reserve/span#13; #13; /div p id=story_continues_2The Atlantic Array was planned in an area 200 sq km, (77 sq miles) about 16.5km (10 miles) from the north Devon coast, 22.5km (14 miles) from south Wales coast and 13.5km (8 miles) from Lundy Island nature reserve./p#13; pThe turbines would have been 220m (721ft) tall and capable of producing 1,200 megawatts of electricity - enough for up to 900,000 homes the developer has said./p#13; pDECC told the BBC the scrapping of the scheme was a matter for the developer, but the decision was made on purely technical grounds and reflects the many complex challenges of constructing offshore windfarms/p#13; pBut BBC South West Political Editor Martyn Oates said: Sources have told us that this will not go ahead because of problems in financing it./p#13; pJust last week, [green energy group] Regen SW said that the government's recent announcement that it is going to cut back on green levies to support renewable energy was already undermining investment in the region and putting jobs at risk./p#13; pAnd in terms of investment and jobs, this is a really big project, the company (RWE) says it would provide thousands of jobs./p#13; span class=cross-head'Anti-green ideology'/span#13; pFriends of the Earth's Head of Campaigns, Andrew Pendleton said: The government's wanton green-bashing is starting to cost jobs and threaten the future security of our energy supply./p#13; pThe UK has some of the finest offshore clean energy resources in the world and harnessing it is becoming cheaper./p#13; pBut anti-green ideology at the heart of the coalition is sending the development of world-beating clean power into reverse./p#13; pBut DECC told the BBC: The UK still expects to deploy significant amounts of offshore wind by 2020 and we remain well placed to meet our 2020 renewable energy target./p#13; p id=story_continues_3Derek Green, manager of Lundy Island, said: If it's true then we are absolutely delighted./p#13; pIt is fantastic news for tourism and wildlife in the Bristol Channel and in particular for Lundy./p#13; pLundy's owners, the Landmark Trust, have spent the last 40 years preserving a special way of life./p#13; pWe were concerned that by bringing development so close to the island that it would overwhelm it, said Mr Green./p#13; pThere are many turbines near Landmark Trust properties which we haven't opposed./p#13; pBut we have always said that offshore wind farms should be built offshore and this suite was in the middle of the Bristol Channel./p#13; pWe all need electricity, but there are more appropriate places./p#13; /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center