Energy Minister Helen Liddell unveiled the country's first offshore wind farm yesterday.
The two turbines, each with the capacity to power 3,000 average households, are the largest to be erected offshore in the world.
The £4m project, which was completed earlier last summer, will be monitored and evaluated as part of the Department of Trade and Industry's Wind Energy Programme.
The turbines are off the coast of Northumberland, near Blyth Harbour, inmore than 20ft of North Sea water.
The scheme was developed by a consortium under the banner of Blyth Offshore Wind Ltd, made up of Border Wind, PowerGen Renewables, Nuon UK and Shell Renewables.
A Department of Trade and Industry consultation document published earlier this year suggested a potential for installing more than £6bn of offshore wind farms around the UK.
Theoretically, the UK has enough offshore wind to supply three times the country's current electricity requirements.
The official unveiling of the turbines by Ms Liddell was held at the Port of Blyth, Northumberland.
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