Plans for a major wind power centre to be constructed in the north-east of England costing £400 million have been put forward.

Plans for a major wind power centre to be constructed in the north-east of England have been put forward.

Under the proposed scheme, around £400 million will be spent on developing a mile-long centre for renewable energy at Immingham, Humber.

If approved, the project will create 20,000 jobs.

This comes as the government is to make a £10 million public-sector investment for a number of companies behind "ambitious offshore wind energy projects".

This is among the first round of grants for next-generation renewable technology handed out since the Budget.

Secretary of State, Chris Huhne, confirmed the money would be given to seven UK firms in a bid to boost the amount of power generated by offshore wind.

Among the biggest winners of the development is Hartlepool's JDR Systems, manufacturing sub-sea, high-voltage cables for the next generation of offshore turbines.

Huhne said: "Offshore wind will be very significant in the energy mix as we move to low carbon, sustainable energy supplies."