Walney Offshore Wind Farm To Triple In Size
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The 367 MW Walney offshore wind farm that opened last summer is now going to be significantly expanded upon. The wind farm will be approximately tripled in size, reaching a total capacity of just over 1.1 GW. Once the expansion is completed, the Walney wind farm is likely to once again be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, after having lost that title to the London Array recently.
The expansion plans were presented to Cumbria County Council’s local committee for Barrow last week by Dong Energy, wherein they outlined the specifics of the plans — the addition of 120 new wind turbines to the already 102-turbine-strong wind farm.
The formal application for consent is currently expected to be submitted sometime in May.
“The process typically takes around 18 months to two years, so if the planning decision is favorable we would be looking to make financial investment decisions and start work in 2015/16,” a spokesman from the company was quoted by BusinessGreen as saying. “Construction time depends on the turbine types and the weather, but the aim would be to have work completed around 2018.”
As of right now, the 367 MW Walney wind farm is providing enough electricity for about 320,000 homes. With the addition of a further 750 MW of capacity, that number would go up considerably.
The Walney wind farm was actually the largest offshore wind farm in the world when it was completed in February 2012, but has been overtaken by the London Array project, which is going to provide 630 MW of capacity once its first phase is completed.
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