Wind farm go-ahead
04 December 2008
Npower Renewables has been given the go-ahead for a 750 MW wind farm off the coast of North Wales in the UK. According to the UK government's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Gwynt y Môr wind farm will be the second largest offshore wind farm in the world.
Located some 13 km offshore between Wales and Ireland, the wind farm will comprise between 150 and 250 turbines, each with a capacity of 3 to 5 MW. The pylons supporting the turbines will stand in up to 34 m of water, with a hub height some 100 m above sea level. The rotor diameter will be about 130 m.
According to Npower, which is a subsidiary of German utilities company RWE, offshore construction work could begin in 2011, with final commissioning in 2014.
Commenting on the consent fro the Gwynt y Môr scheme, which was granted along with consent for three other similar schemes nearby, the government's Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Milliband said, "The North Wales coast is set to become a powerhouse for renewable energy. Gwynt y Môr will be the largest of four offshore wind farms which combined will have the potential to power the equivalent of around 680000 homes with green electricity."
