The developers behind plans for the London Array, the world鈥檚 largest off-shore wind farm in the Thames estuary, have said the project will go ahead after months of speculation over its future

Energy supplier E.ON and its partners Dong Energy and Masdar said on Tuesday that they were 鈥渟atisfied鈥� the London Array was financially viable after the increase in government support for off-shore wind power in last month鈥檚 Budget.

The consortium said it would invest almost 鈧�2.2bn (拢2bn) in the first 630MW stage of the scheme, which could start producing power by 2012.

On-shore work is due to start in the summer, with off-shore construction expected to begin in early 2011. Eventually, the project aims to supply 1GW, or enough power for 750,000 homes.

Gordon Brown said the scheme was a "flagship project" in the drive to cut carbon emissions 80% by 2050.