The World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm

Author:

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Date:

09/13/2018

Tag:

@Orsted #londonarray #offshorewindfarm #WalneyExtension #windenergy #psd

The World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm

The Walney Extension offshore wind farm.

The world's largest offshore wind farm is here, and it’s 23 square kilometers and 29 MW more than the previous record holder.

The Walney Extension, courtesy of Danish energy company Ørsted, has begun operation in the Irish Sea, and it’s set to provide the UK with 659 MW, 29 MW more than the London Array and enough to power nearly 600,000 UK homes. And the newest record holder is a monster -- 87 Gamesa and MHI Vestas turbines over 145 km².

Given that the previous record holder is situated off the Kent coast in the outer Thames Estuary, it’s no surprise the UK leads the world in offshore wind generation, with 36% of global output.

And the Walney Extension stands to be highly lucrative – a contract signed in 2014 dictates a minimum price of £150 ($195) per megawatt hour for 15 years.

“Walney Extension showcases the industry's incredible success story," claimed Matthew Wright, Ørsted UK's managing director. "The project, completed on time and within budget, also marks another important step towards Ørsted’s vision of a world that runs entirely on green energy.”