A new wind farm costing over €2bn is to be built off the North Wales coast in Liverpool Bay by a consortium of Siemens, RWE Innogy and Munich Municipal Utility. Work will begin on the Gwynt y Môr project, which is to be built with an installed capacity of 576MW, towards the end of 2011 with the first foundations for a total of 160 wind turbines.
All permits for the wind farm covering an area of 79sq.km have already been obtained. Siemens will supply, install and maintain the wind turbines, and provide the connection to the grid.
“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," said Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne. "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 gigawatt hours of electricity annually, enough to supply around 400,000 British households.
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 €1.2bn.
Driving forward wind farm expansion
“Offshore wind power represents an enormous growth market," said Wolfgang Dehen, CEO of the Siemens Energy Sector. "Siemens made an early commitment to this sector and can therefore look back on many years of experience. We are pleased that our proven wind power plants will also be used in this major project. Our co-operation with RWE in building as many as three offshore wind farms in Great Britain is a clear signal that both companies are driving forward the expansion of wind energy in the sea.”
Siemens will supply and erect 160 wind power installations each with a capacity of 3.6MW for the project. Siemens will also be responsible for connecting the wind turbines to the grid, which entails the delivery of two turnkey offshore transformer platforms. Using high-voltage sea cables, power will be transmitted to the Welsh town of St. Asaph, from where inland distribution will take place.
Siemens will also be responsible for maintenance of the wind farm for five years, with the option of an extension for a further seven years.
