500 MW Wind Power on the UK’s Horizon

The United Kingdom’s push for sourcing 10 percent of their energy from renewable energy is slowly materializing in projects across the countryside and into the shallow waters. Efforts are now in motion for a proposed offshore wind farm that will boast a capacity of 500 MW.

Dublin, Ireland – February 11, 2004 [SolarAccess.com] Airtricity, together with its joint venture partner Fluor, was awarded a lease from the UK’s Crown Estate to build and operate a 500 MW offshore wind park at Greater Gabbard in the United Kingdom. The award of the lease to the Airtricity/Fluor joint venture is part of the second round competition for UK offshore wind farm developments by The Crown Estate. The sites available for offshore wind farm development are located in the three strategic areas announced by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in July 2003: the Thames Estuary, the Greater Wash and the North West (Liverpool Bay). On 18 December 2003 The Crown Estate announced the award of lease option agreements to 12 successful bidders for the development of offshore wind farms. The successful developers will be required to obtain all statutory planning consents from the government to allow construction to take place. Airtricity has a proven track record in wind farm projects, including the Arklow Bank project in the Irish Sea, the first phase of which is already constructed through a co-development agreement with GE Wind. Fluor’s role, once all permitting and financing has been secured, would be to provide the engineering, procurement and construction for the project. The Airtricity/Fluor joint venture combines the resources of two industry leaders in their respective fields and has the financial strength to bring certainty of delivery to the project, said the companies. The Greater Gabbard Project is located approx. 26 km from the Suffolk coast and comprises one site located in the outer Thames Estuary on two sand banks known as the Inner Gabbard and The Galloper. It is regarded as an ideal site for an offshore wind farm due to high wind speeds, low water depth, suitable ground conditions and minimal environmental sensitivities, according to the companies. Airtricity/Fluor will immediately initiate an environmental impact assessment study, which will take approximately 15 months to complete. On completion of the environmental impact assessment, planning permission will be applied for and following the successful acquisition of all statutory consents, construction of the wind farm will begin. The total project is 500 MW, which will produce enough energy to power more than 300,000 homes. This equates to a reduction in carbon dioxide emission of almost 1.5 million tons per year, the equivalent of removing 350,000 cars from the roads.