by business editor Trevor Sturgess

The world's biggest offshore wind farm, opened today off the Kent coast, is set fair to boost the UK's renewable energy generation by nearly a third.

The Thanet Offshore Wind Farm has been developed by Swedish firm Vattenfall and construction was completed this month.

The £800m project has involved the construction of 100 huge wind turbines with e a total capacity of 300 MW, enough to supply more than 200,000 homes with energy every year.

Each turbine is 115 metres high.The farm will boost current UK offshore wind capacity by more than 30 per cent and go a small way towards achieving the Government's renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020.

The turbines are some nine miles off the Foreness Point, with power fed to an onshore sub-station at Richborough.

The project has given an economic boost to the area and some local businesses, although manufacturing was undertaken abroad, dampening expectations of a jobs bonanza in the Ramsgate area.

However, a maintenance facility has been built in the port, creating 21 jobs.

Vattenfall said other benefits to the area include attracting holidaymakers.

"Tourism may be boosted," it said. "Many visitors have been attracted to both onshore and offshore wind farm developments in the past."

It added that the farm would make "a significant contribution towards the South East's renewable targets to help tackle the problems of climate change."

Vattenfall is one of the biggest wind power operators in Britain and is the fifth largest energy producer in Europe.

The Kentish Flats wind farm off Herne Bay/Whitstable, Kent is also owned by Vattenfall.

The Vattenfall farm will not be the biggest offshore wind project for long.

Others are planned worldwide, and Kent is likely to have the giant London Array scheme - with nearly 300 turbines - well underway by 2012.

It is one of five potential offshore wind farms in the Thames Estuary Strategic Environmental Area.