Leading power company E.ON has said it is committed to building offshore windfarms in the UK.

Chief spokesman Jonathan Smith told Channel 4 News that the Dusseldorf-based company has been building onshore windfarms for the past 15 years and is looking at expanding its renewable activities.

The Irish Sea has been identified by wind energy experts as a potentially rich source of wind power.

"We certainly have a commitment to offshore wind in the UK. In actual fact we're currently building the Robin Rigg offshore windfarm in the Solway Firth," he remarked.

Solway Firth forms part of the border between England and Scotland, stretching from St Bees Head in Cumbria to the Mull of Galloway on the western side of Dumfries and Galloway.

"It's a very, very new technology. We're learning all the time, and it is difficult," Mr Smith added.

The UK has over a third of Europe's total offshore wind potential. This would help meet the EU's target of 20 per cent of energy from renewable sources by the end of the next decade.

According to Envirolink, the northwest is home to over 170 companies that supply parts and services to the wind energy industry.