Plans to generate electricity from an offshore wind farm in Northern Ireland moved a step closer with the appointment of a consortium to investigate the feasibility of the project.

The consortium was chosen by the Enterprise Minister, Sir Reg Empey on Tuesday to examine the potential for generating electricity off the north coast of the province.

If successful, the wind farm could supply power to 170,000 homes, 28% of all homes in Northern Ireland.

If the �200m project does go ahead it will be the largest off-shore wind farm in the United Kingdom.

Sir Reg Empey: "Important to develop a sustainable energy system for the province"

The consortium is made up of B9 Energy Offshore Developments, Renewable Energy Systems and Powergen Renewables Developments and will explore the potential for the wind farm off the coast of Londonderry.

The Tunes Plateau site, which is about three miles from shore in the mouth of the Foyle River, is capable of hosting up to 60 turbines.

If initial exploration is successful, work on constructing the wind farm could start in 2005.

And if the plan receives approval from the executive by June next year, the Crown Estate will issue it with a 50-year lease.

Sensitive

Welcoming the agreement, Sir Reg said it was the beginning of a thorough exploration into the technical and environmental impact of the offshore wind farm.

"We have an obligation to protect all of the Northern Ireland environment through pro-actively seeking renewable energy sources," he said.

"However, we also need to be sensitive to the needs of the local communities living near the proposed project."

Their skills mix and financial standing will undoubtedly ensure that the opportunity will be vigorously pursued

Frank Parrish Crown Estate

Sir Reg added it was an important project in the overall strategy to develop a sustainable energy system for the province.

The green light for the project would enable the setting of "robust 2010 targets for the percentage of electricity supplied to Northern Ireland customers generated from renewable energy sources", he said.

The consortium was chosen following a tender process that began last February.

Frank Parrish, head of the Marine Estate for the Crown Estate said the consortium was "an excellent choice".

"They have all previously worked in Northern Ireland and their skills mix and financial standing will undoubtedly ensure that the opportunity will be vigorously pursued," he said.

The turbines would have a generation capacity of 150-200MW, said the consortium.

B9 and Powergen are already involved in the operation of wind farms in Northern Ireland and RES is regarded as one of the world's leading wind energy developers.

When the scheme was first mooted in February there were protest from people in the area who said it would be a blot on their landscape.

Michael Harper, managing director of B9, admitted the wind farm would be visible from the coastline, but said that had to be balanced against the benefits.

"Among issues that the assessment will cover is the number and height of turbines," he said.