AN ORGANISATION has issued a report into the feasibility of green projects in Cumbria, including suggesting a wind farm located north of the current Walney site.

The Green Investment Plan Cumbria has authored the report, which suggests a new wind farm named Collette, which could power 1.7 million homes with clean energy and bring hundreds of jobs.

Ciara Shannon, Project Lead of GIPC, said: “With Cumbria’s wealth of green assets, there is a great opportunity for local and national investors and the government to come together and create something truly pioneering.

"If all of the ideas in the report are acted on, Cumbria can go beyond achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions to be one of the UK’s first climate positive counties (that is, to remove more GHG emissions than it puts into the atmosphere."

The report details significant potential which exists to develop a 1.2 GW wind farm with 80-100 turbines, off the coast of West Cumbria, to be delivered via a consortium of partners, focussed on green growth and community transformation.

A scheme of this size is likely to involve a capital expenditure of more than £3 billion, with a predicted lifetime of 27 years. A phased development approach may be necessary.

Collette would represent 5% of the UK Government’s ambition to quadruple the UK’s offshore wind capacity, from 10 to 40 GW, by 2030.

Suzanne Caldwell, Managing Director, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: “I hope that this report will lead to a competitive investment strategy for Cumbria.

"An investment strategy will help Cumbria’s businesses make the right decisions to seek out social and environmental opportunities, alongside financial returns.”

The report also details the current carbon footprint of Cumbrian districts.

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015 by 196 countries, aims to keep global warming below two degrees - and preferably closer to 1.5 degrees - by 2100.

In order to comply with this, Barrow would have to reduce its carbon footprint year-on-year by 12.8%.

At current rates, the borough will have used its 2020-2100 'budget' by 2027.