Gwynt y Môr wind farm to be built off North Wales coast

RWE Innogy, Stadtwerke München (SWM - Munich Municipal Utility) and Siemens have entered into a joint venture to build the offshore wind farm Gwynt y Môr (Welsh for “wind in the sea”). RWE Innogy will hold a 60% stake in this joint venture, Stadtwerke München 30% and Siemens 10%. The total investment amounts to more than € 2 billion , including the grid connection to the coast.

Gwynt y Môr is to be built with an installed capacity of 576 MW in Liverpool Bay, around 18 km off the North Wales coast. Work will start towards the end of 2011 to erect the first foundations for a total of 160 wind turbines. All permits for the wind farm covering an area of 79 km² have already been obtained. Siemens will supply, install and maintain the wind turbines, and provide the connection to the grid.

The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne said, “This is the first, of what I hope will be many, examples of how we can make the most of our island’s huge renewable energy potential. I want to make sure we grab all the opportunities the rapidly expanding renewables industry has to offer, and that wind power can come of age under this government.”

In its first phase of expansion, the wind farm is planned to generate electricity as early as 2013. The project is expected to be completed in 2014. From then onwards it is forecast to generate around 1950 GW hours of electricity annually, enough to supply around 400,000 British households. Liverpool Bay in North Wales is characterised by comparatively shallow water and very high wind speeds, ideal conditions for the wind farm.

Siemens supplies turbines
For this project Siemens Energy will receive the contract not only for supply, erection and maintenance of the wind turbines, but also for electrical connection of the Gwynt y Môr wind farm to the mainland. The value of the contract for Siemens is around € 1.2 billion.

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/04062010/gwynt_y_m%C3%B4r_wind_farm_to_be_built_off_north_wales_coast/