World's biggest wind turbines off North Wales coast start generating today
The world’s tallest wind turbines starting generating power off the coast of North Wales today.
Burbo Bank Extension is a new offshore windfarm capable of meeting the electricity demand of well over 230,000 homes.
The site – situated eight miles off the Point of Ayr – is the first offshore wind farm to use MHI Vestas V164-8.0MW turbines, billed as the most powerful in the world.
Developer DONG Energy says each of the 32 turbines is 195m tall – nearly three times the height of the Rhyl Skytower.
Just one of these wind turbines produces more energy than the whole of Vindeby, the world’s first offshore windfarm constructed by DONG Energy 25 years ago in Denmark.
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The new farm sits next to DONG’s earlier Burbo Bank wind farm in Liverpool Bay.
Power is brought to shore near Prestatyn through undersea cabling. Cables then link up to a sub-station near St Asaph.
Henrik Poulsen, DONG Energy Chief Executive, said: “Burbo Bank Extension showcases the rapid innovation in the offshore wind industry.
“Less than ten years ago at Burbo Bank, we were the first to install Siemens 3.6MW wind turbines and in this short time, the wind turbines have more than doubled in capacity.
“Pushing innovation in this way reduces the cost of electricity from offshore wind and will help to advance the offshore wind industry across the world.”