The independent polling conducted by Survation* shows that 87% of people living in the region support the development of offshore wind off the coast of East Anglia, while only 7% oppose it and 7% don't know.

When asked which factors are important when deciding whether an offshore wind farm should be built, 93% said the price and volume of the clean power it produces are significant considerations, with only 4% disagreeing. 91% cited the importance of economic benefits to the local community, such as job creation, while 90% highlighted the UK’s energy security.

Looking specifically at attitudes towards local infrastructure, 88% said the installation of new permanent underground cables is acceptable, with only 2% opposed. 73% said building new or enlarged electricity substations is also acceptable, while just 7% disagreed.

83% prefer buried cables rather than overhead cables. Although they cause temporary disruption locally while they are being laid, they are then out of sight once they have been installed. Just 6% said they prefer overhead cables.

Meanwhile, research by RenewableUK shows that if the 12 offshore wind projects currently approved or planned off the coast of East Anglia were already generating, each household in the UK would save £68.09 a year.

RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail said: “This polling shows that the overwhelming majority of people in East Anglia are hugely supportive of offshore wind. This support isn’t just because of the jobs the sectors bringing to the region or concerns about energy security. People understand that, if the region’s pipeline of potential new offshore wind projects were already up and running, they would have significantly reduced electricity bills.

“We’re all aware that there are some local impacts in building substations and laying cables when new projects are constructed, and the industry works hard to minimise these as much as possible, consulting closely and carefully with local communities at every step of the way. The poll demonstrates that the vast majority of people in the region understand that installing new cables and substations are a necessary part of developing offshore wind off the coast of East Anglia, and that they see other issues like generating cheap clean power, creating local jobs and increasing the UK’s energy security as more important considerations when building a wind farm."

*The polling was conducted by Survation in March and April 2022, using a fully representative sample of over 1,000 adults living in East Anglia.