Electricity has been generated for the first time at Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm, a joint venture between DONG Energy (50%) and its partners PKA (25%) and KIRKBI (25%).
With the initial turbines recently installed, power from the first turbine is now being exported to the national grid. This is the first time the next generation MHI Vestas 8 MW turbines have been used commercially offshore.
"First power is a key milestone for us because it proves that every part of the transmission and generation equipment is successfully working,” said Claus Bøjle Møller, Burbo Bank Extension program director. "This milestone is also significant for the offshore wind industry at a broader scale. Using these bigger turbines is a major step in reducing the cost of energy from offshore wind and we are proud to once again introduce a step-change in technology."
Once all 32 turbines are in place, expected in Q1 2017, the wind farm will be capable of generating up to 258 MW of electricity – enough capacity to meet the annual electricity demands of approximately 230,000 UK homes. The Burbo Bank offshore wind farm and Burbo Bank Extension, will produce enough combined power every year for almost third of a million homes.
Construction of Burbo Bank Extension, located 7km off Liverpool Bay in the Irish Sea, is being managed from DONG Energy's facilities at Cammell Laird Shipyard site in Birkenhead by a team of around 90 people.
Work is also underway on a state of the art operations and maintenance facility in King's Wharf, Seacombe to serve the two DONG Energy windfarms in the area. Up to 75 jobs are being created during construction and around 45 people will be employed at the site when it is operational, in H2 2017.
Image: Turbine/DONG Energy
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