UK OK for worlds largest offshore wind farm

The venture is the world’s largest offshore wind farm project to move into the construction phase and will be built approximately 25 km off the Suffolk coast of the UK. The new award will be booked in Fluor’s second quarter of 2008 and is worth approximately £900 million.It will be the first UK offshore wind farm to be built outside territorial waters and will provide carbon neutral, renewable electricity for more than 415,000 homes, equivalent to the approximate domestic demand of Suffolk.

The Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm Project has been developed by a 50:50 joint venture between Fluor International Limited and Airtricity (acquired by SSE in February 2008). Having successfully completed the development phase and signed the construction contract, Fluor has sold its 50% stake in Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Ltd to SSE for £40m.

The Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm Project will feature 140 wind turbines each having a rated capacity of 3.6 MW. The turbines will be supplied by Siemens Wind Power A/S under a separate contract with SSE. Fluor will be responsible for the installation of the turbines, which will be mounted on steel monopiles and transition pieces in water depths between 24m and 34m. A new electricity substation will be built near Sizewell, Suffolk, UK.

Construction work is scheduled to commence for the offshore site in summer 2009, with work to prepare the site for the onshore substation already underway. The wind farm will be commissioned in two phases, with the entire construction scheduled to be completed in 2011.

‘This investment in Greater Gabbard is very welcome and a prime example of the increasing number of renewable projects that are now taking place across the UK, said John Hutton, UK Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. ‘The massive potential of the UK shoreline coupled with the right market conditions mean the UK is one of the most attractive places in the world to invest in offshore technology.

‘Through the Energy Bill we are providing more financial support to offshore projects, and in the summer we will be setting out our plans to increase renewables further. Tackling climate change and securing future energy supplies is of the utmost importance and a vast expansion of both onshore and offshore wind will be central to this.’