The Forewind consortium consists of Airtricity, a subsidiary of Scottish and Southern Energy Plc; RWE npower renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy; and two of Norway’s largest companies: Statkraft and StatoilHydro.

Project Manager Peter Raftery says the consortium draws on exceptional organisational resources, financial strength, technical knowledge and a proven track record of offshore project delivery.

“Each of the four consortium members – all leading players in their own right - recognise that by joining forces we have the ability to make a significant contribution to the future of wind energy in the UK and demonstrate our commitment to the continuing development of offshore wind,” he says.

The companies are cooperating on the submission of a single, joint bid for selected, but undisclosed, Round 3 zones.