UK removes barrier to add 25 GW of offshore wind

* Offshore farms given go ahead nearer shore

* Tenders announced to build grid for offshore farms

* Offshore grid to cost around 15 billion pounds

By Nao Nakanishi

LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) - Britain's hundreds of offshore wind turbines can be closer to shore as the government has decided against creating a buffer zone in its attempt to meet its ambitious target for carbon emission cut targets.

Lord Hunt, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), said on Wednesday it would allow 25 gigawatts (GW) -- the equivalent of a third of UK's generation capacity -- of offshore wind to be added in England and Wales.

It has overturned a recommendation for creating a buffer zone in its territorial waters, which would have pushed wind farms more than 12 miles away from the shore.

"We can build in waters nearer to the shore. That's extremely important for us," said Maria McCaffery, chief executive at the British Wind and Energy Association (BWEA).