Giant Walney Extension Offshore Windfarm Powers Ahead in U.K.

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Power is now being generated from the final phase of the 659-megawatt (MW) Walney Extension offshore windfarm, located off the coast of Cumbria, England.

Walney is on track to become the world's largest operational windfarm when it is fully commissioned later this year, leap-frogging the current largest windfarm, the 630-MW London Array windfarm, which was commissioned in 2012 off the Kent coast in England.

Walney is a joint venture project being developed by Danish energy giant Ørsted (Fredericia, Denmark) (50%), formerly DONG Energy, and two Danish pension funds, PFA (25%) and PKA (25%). The project, which will have 87 turbines in total, is unusual in that it will feature 40 turbines rated at 8 MW from MHI Vestas Wind Systems A/S (OMX:VWS) (Aarhus, Denmark) and 47 additional turbines rated at 7 MW each from Siemens-Gamesa (Madrid, Spain). The first three of the 7-MW Siemens-Gamesa turbines have now been installed and are producing their first power. MHI Vestas has already installed the first phase of 40 8-MW turbines, and commissioning is now nearing completion. When fully commissioned, the windfarm will be capable of powering more than half a million homes.

"We are very pleased with the progress we are making on the project and remain on schedule, despite some quite challenging weather conditions," explained Andrew Cotterell, Walney Extension Programme Director at Ørsted. "In general, both offshore and onshore works are well advanced, and our focus is set on completion in the second half of 2018."

Clark MacFarlane, U.K. & Ireland managing director at Siemens Gamesa, said: "Siemens Gamesa is delighted to see this exciting and world-leading project nearing completion. For Siemens Gamesa, it is world-leading also as it is the first installation of our 7-MW turbines. In less than a year, we shall see a further half million U.K. homes benefitting from clean, green energy for years to come."

Walney Extension is located in the Irish Sea, approximately 19 kilometres (km) from the Walney Island coast in Cumbria and covers an area of 145 square kilometres. The 8-MW turbines in use at Walney are the V164 8.0 MW model from MHI Vestas and are the largest commercial wind turbines in use today. The first windfarm to use them powered up last year at the Burbo Bank Extension windfarm off the coast of Liverpool in the U.K. For additional information, see May 30, 2017, article - Ribbon Cut at First 8-Megawatt Turbine Windfarm.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.