World’s biggest wind farm set to be built off the coast of Britain

Editorial note: Here is another example of Government Welfare handout to the Industrial Complex with the Citizen/Consumer Picking up the tab from the beginning, to the completion and beyond. (TLB)

The biggest offshore wind farm in the world – with turbines each taller than the Gherkin tower – is to be built off the coast of Britain.

The Hornsea Project One will feature 174 turbines each 623 ft tall off the coast of Grimsby – and span an area five times the size of Hull.

The project is expected to create 2,000 jobs during construction – including a factory in Hull to make the wind turbines – and will power up to one million homes.

The biggest offshore wind farm in the world – with turbines each taller than the Gherkin tower - is to be built off the coast of BritainThe biggest offshore wind farm in the world – with turbines each taller than the Gherkin tower – is to be built off the coast of Britain.

But critics say that the annual subsidy to the wind farms will inflate energy bills for consumers.

Dong Energy, which is majority owned by the Danish government, said it was going to go ahead with the project yesterday. It is expected to be completed by 2020.

It was among a number of projects criticised by the National Audit Office as it was handed out without competition.

The cost to the taxpayer is expected to be around £4.2billion over 15 years. A contract agreed by Ed Davey in 2014 guaranteed the project would receive four times the current market price for electricity for every unit.

The scheme is 75 miles (120km) offshore and spanning 160 square miles (407 square kilometres). The turbines will not be visible from the shore, according to Dong.

Siemens has been named as preferred supplier for the turbines, which are to be built in the UK.  And a £25 million contract has been awarded to UK company Balfour Beatty for the construction of the onshore sub-station.

Building the wind farm will also involve constructing the world’s longest electrical system, with more than 560 miles (900km) of cables to bring the electricity produced by the wind turbines to shore and feed it into the national grid.

DONG Energy has the rights to Hornsea Project Two and Hornsea Project Three, which have the potential of three GW of offshore wind power capacity in total.

The project is expected to create 2,000 jobs during construction – including a factory in Hull to make the wind turbines - and will power up to one million homesThe project is expected to create 2,000 jobs during construction – including a factory in Hull to make the wind turbines – and will power up to one million homes.

Brent Cheshire, DONG Energy UK’s country chairman, said: ‘Hornsea Project One is a world-leading infrastructure project being built right here in the UK.

‘It is ground-breaking and innovative, powering more homes than any offshore wind farm currently in operation.

‘We are making a major financial investment to construct this giant wind farm and this underlines our commitment to the UK market. Hornsea Project One will support the supply chain and help create local jobs.

‘To have the world’s biggest ever offshore wind farm located off the Yorkshire coast is hugely significant, and highlights the vital role offshore wind will play in the UK’s need for new low-carbon energy.’

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd said: ’Thanks to Government support the UK is the world leader in offshore wind energy and this success story is going from strength to strength.

‘DONG Energy’s investment shows that we are open for business and is a vote of confidence in the UK and in our plan to tackle the legacy of under-investment and build an energy infrastructure fit for the 21st century.’

Lisa Nandy MP, Labour’s Shadow Energy Secretary, said: ‘If Ministers stopped chopping and changing their energy policies, and talking down green industries, there could be many more projects like this which can help us secure power supplies, create jobs and bring down pollution.

‘This is a great example of the sort of investment that our country can secure as a member of the European Union.’

*********

Original article

TLB finds other interesting reading from across ‘the pond’ at Daily Mail.com

Other articles from the author COLIN FERNANDEZ

1 Comment on World’s biggest wind farm set to be built off the coast of Britain

  1. What a waste/ripoff/travesty. Just *one* of James Mccanney’s large Wing Generators (1000-foot diameter) could supply 500 megawatts, would not kill the avian population, and could be built for 1/100th the cost. According to Mccanney the big Wings can be floated on barges (anchored), which automatically swings them into the correct alignment for most efficient collection of all that wind power—-another huge cost savings vs. sinking huge piers into the seabed to support the conventional 3-blade wind generators. Finally, maintenance of Mccanney’s huge Wing Generators can all be done at ground level. No dangerous climbing, no helicopters necessary …nada,zip, zero …The Wings are a complete departure from the conventional 3-blade generators.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*