Burnham hails £12bn wind farm investment as he prepares for Cop31 climate talks

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has welcomed a £12 billion investment in wind farms as he prepares to head to the Cop31 climate summit.

Energy company RWE and investment firm KKR have announced the funding which will deliver the Vanguard West and Vanguard East offshore wind farms off the Norfolk coast.

The financing includes £1 billion from the state-owned National Wealth Fund.

The wind farms are set to be delivering power by 2030, with construction set to begin early next year.

Mr Burnham said: “This major investment in UK renewables is a vote of confidence for building in Britain.

“It is great news for billpayers because every turbine we put up is power under British control, not at the mercy of events on the other side of the world.

“With coastal communities from Scotland to East Anglia powering Britain’s future, the places that host this energy benefit from the jobs and opportunities that it brings.

“Our National Wealth Fund means that public investment is working alongside private capital to build homegrown energy and bring a return for the taxpayer. Because, for me, a clean energy future is one that brings down bills.”

Mr Burnham will join other world leaders at the United Nations’ Cop31 summit in Antalya, Turkey, where he will deliver a speech on Thursday.