DONG Energy has announced that full capacity has been reached at the 630 MW first phase of the London Array offshore wind farm, located off the coasts of Kent and Essex, U.K. Turbine installation was completed in December 2012, and the commissioning of the 175th and final 3.6 MW Siemens turbine happened on April 6, 2013.
According to DONG Energy, London Array represents the world's largest offshore wind farm, and a possible second phase could add enough capacity to bring the total to 870 MW. The wind farm is a consortium project of DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar.
Benj Sykes, country manager for DONG Energy's U.K. wind business, says, "Building London Array, the world's largest offshore wind farm, is a great achievement. As we now look to our pipeline of future projects, DONG Energy is determined to drive down the costs of our offshore wind farms to �100 per megawatt hour for projects we'll be sanctioning in 2020."
"It's been a tough time for the team working on-site. The recent bad weather and north easterly winds have whipped up the waves preventing access to the site, so this milestone is true reward for their hard work," adds Tony Cocker, CEO of E.ON UK.
"As a partner in some of the world's most sophisticated and large-scale renewable energy projects, Masdar recognizes the value of robust collaborative efforts as exemplified by the London Array," comments Masdar CEO Ahmed Al Jaber. "Masdar is proud to be contributing to the United Kingdom's clean energy mix and remains committed to growing offshore wind capacity in the U.K. and worldwide."
