EDF Enters U.K. Offshore Wind Sector

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) -- French energy giant, Electricite de France S.A. (EPA:EDF) (EDF) (Paris, France), has taken its first steps into U.K. offshore waters with the installation of the first turbine at its Teesside offshore windfarm.

The windfarm, located 1.5 kilometres (km) off the north-east coast at Redcar, is the first U.K. offshore development undertaken by EDF Energy Renewables, a 50:50 joint venture between EDF Energy and EDF Energies Nouvelles. It will have a generation capacity of 62-megawatts (MW) when complete, enough to power up to 40,000 households and offset the annual equivalent of 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The company already operates 21 onshore wind farms with a combined generating capacity of approximately 300 MW and, including Teesside, has 224 MW of new windfarm capacity under construction.

The installation of the tower, nacelle and rotor blades of the first of 27 turbines, rated at 2.3 MW each, was completed this week. After testing, the first turbine is expected start generating electricity in the coming weeks. The other turbines, which will transported and installed by MPI Adventure, a six leg jack-up vessel, are expected to be in place by this spring.

"The installation of the first offshore turbine on our first offshore scheme is a landmark event for the company, supporting the expansion of our onshore wind farm capacity over recent years," explained Christian Egal, Chief Executive of EDF Energy Renewables. "Renewable energy will continue to play a key part of the country's energy mix going forward. Developing a range of diverse energy sources is crucial to addressing climate change, ensuring security of supply and providing affordable energy for all. The new Teesside offshore wind farm will make a significant contribution to all these challenges."

Just last month, in related news, the final turbine was installed at the London Array windfarm, the largest offshore wind project in the world. Located in the Thames Estuary in England and owned jointly by Dong Energy A/S (Fredericia, Denmark) (50%), Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) (20%) and German energy giant E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) (Dusseldorf, Germany) (30%), it boasts 175 wind turbines rated at 3.6 MW each and will be capable of generating 630 MW of electricity when it is fully commissioned in Spring. For additional information, see December 20, 2012, article - Final Turbine in at Giant London Array Windfarm.

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