A milestone has been passed with the installation of the thousandth turbine in UK waters. A year ago, around 600 turbines were in place off the UK's coasts. This year, construction activity has seen the total rise to the four-figure mark. The landmark may be claimed by either of the London Array 1 and Lincs projects, where turbine installation work has been ongoing lately.
At London Array 1, all bar three of the 175 Siemens 3.6MW turbines are now in place, a spokesperson for the project told Windpower Offshore today. Given favourable weather conditions, the remaining turbines should be installed before Christmas. On completion, the 630MW development will be the UK's – and indeed the world's – largest operational wind farm.
And at Centrica's Lincs development, half of the 75 Siemens 3.6MW turbines have now been installed, the developer confirmed today. First power was achieved in August and the 270MW project is set for completion next year.
Turbine installation at EDF's Teesside project was also planned to be nearing completion by now, but the towers have yet to be installed. The foundations and transition pieces have been completed though, as has cabling work and the construction of the onshore substation. Siemens 2.3MW units will be installed shortly at the site off Redcar.
Up until the autumn, turbine installation was also continuing at Sheringham Shoal, off the Norfolk coast. The last of the 88 Siemens 3.6MW turbines were commissioned at the Statoil-Statkraft project in November.
The UK's offshore turbines total is due to rise further in the coming months. A pair of Siemens 6MW turbines will be installed at DONG Energy's Gunfleet Sands 3 project early in 2013. And from the spring, installation of the 160 turbines at RWE's Gwynt y Môr project in the Irish Sea is set to commence.
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