Wind energy news - World's largest offshore wind farm now fully operational

World’s largest offshore wind farm now fully operational

14 Jun 2012

Danish energy company Dong has announced full commissioning of the Walney offshore wind farm, the largest plant of its kind in the world.

The UK facility, located off the coast of Cumbria in North West England, has a 367.2MW generating capacity and consists of 102 turbines.

It was built through a joint venture between Dong, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and OPW, with Siemens supplying the turbines.

Benj Sykes, director of operations at Dong’s UK wind power division, said, ‘Dong Energy is delighted that our record-breaking project is now fully operational, providing clean energy from the UK’s abundant wind resources directly into the grid.

‘Walney is the first project in the UK to be backed by institutional investors before it was built – a confidence justified by the speed and efficiency of the construction. It shows our commitment to offshore wind development in the UK and to driving down costs.’

Jim Smith, managing director of SSE Renewables, added, ‘Walney is a great example of how much offshore wind has matured as an industry in a relatively short time, and will provide a significant contribution to the UK government’s CO2 reduction targets and fuel security ambitions.’

Initial construction on the £1bn facility was completed in February.

Tags: offshore wind, Walney, wind power, wind turbines