Dong Commissions 172-Megawatt Gunfleet Sands Windfarm

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Dong Energy A/S (Fredericia, Denmark) has officially commissioned the Gunfleet Sands offshore windfarm in the Thames Estuary, off the Essex coast in England.

The windfarm has a generating capacity of 172 megawatts (MW) and is capable of powering up to 125,000 homes. The first green electricity from the facility was generated last August, and the windfarm went into full production in March this year.

The opening comes in the same week that Dong received a loan of £250 million ($370 million) from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the construction of the 1,000-MW London Array windfarm, also destined for the Thames Estuary and predicted to be the world's largest offshore windfarm. The London Array will be capable of generating enough power for approximately 750,000 homes. For additional information, see June 15, 2010, article - Dong Energy Secures Funding for World's Largest Windfarm.

Speaking at the opening of Gunfleet Sands, the U.K.'s new energy minister, Charles Hendry, said: "Our island is surrounded by some of the windiest coast in the world, and that's a resource we've got to use. I want to make sure we grab all the opportunities the rapidly expanding offshore wind industry has to offer and that offshore wind power can come of age under this government."

Anders Eldrup, the CEO of Dong Energy, added: "The United Kingdom has a very ambitious plan for expanding the production of renewable energy and a target of making green energy and reliability of supply go hand-in-hand. Dong Energy is the market leader in terms of building offshore windfarms, and we are therefore pleased to be able to contribute to the expansion of renewable energy."

Dong Energy is already very active in the U.K. wind-energy market. The company is involved with three major projects that are ongoing, including the London Array project, which it is working on with partners E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) (Dusseldorf, Germany) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates). Dong is also working on the 367-MW Walney Offshore Windfarm, located 14 kilometres off the Isle of Walney in the Irish Sea. The windfarm will be built in two phases, Walney I and Walney II, and will cost an estimated £1 billion ($1.48 billion). Work was scheduled to start on Walney this spring, with commissioning scheduled for next year. For additional information, see February 15, 2010, article - U.K. Prepares for Construction of Windfarms off Cumbrian Coast.

Dong is also working on the 270-MW Lincs offshore windfarm, in which it purchased a 50% stake last December from Centrica plc (OTC:CPYYY) (Windsor, England). The Lincs windfarm is expected to be fully operational in 2011. For additional information, see December 27, 2010, article - Centrica Sells 50% Stake in 270-Megawatt Lincs Windfarm.

Currently, Dong Energy operates the Burbo Bank (90 MW) and Barrows (90 MW) offshore windfarms. Burbo Bank is wholly owned by Dong, whereas Barrows is owned jointly with Centrica, with each company holding a 50% stake.

IIR's Renewable Energy Database provides extensive coverage on the Wind Energy, Geothermal, Hydroelectric, Landfill Gas-to-Energy and Utility-Scale Solar power plants throughout North America, and is now expanding coverage across the world.

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