London Array, world’s largest offshore wind farm, inaugurated

[Al Bhatti]

July 4, 2013

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, with UK Prime Minister David Cameron, at the inauguration of the London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind farm in the outer reaches of the Thames Estuary, off the coast of the United Kingdom. The ceremony was attended by Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change; Greg Barker, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change; Abdul Rahman Al Mutaiwee, UAE Ambassador to the UK; Dominic Jermey, UK Ambassador to the UAE.



London Array, world’s largest offshore wind farm, inaugurated

Wind farm has a full capacity of 630 MW

The 175 turbine London Array project, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, jointly owned by Dong Energy, Masdar and EON, which started gradual production of green energy to reach full capacity of 630MW since last October, was officially inaugurated by David Cameron, British Prime Minister, and Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of foreign affairs.

Cameron commended the efforts In the field of clean energy, saying that the UK had turned out to be a hub for foreign investments in renewable energy. “The FDI in whole countries of the EU had declined by 40 per cent last year and in the UK it increased by 40 per cent. This is a sign of the very great investment and economic opportunities the UK harbours,” said the prime minister.

He added that the London Array will help supply about half a million houses with power. “The project, the biggest offshore plant for power, is a great win for the UK. It demonstrates the great confidence in the UK economy and reflects that the UK is a fantastic investment market for renewable energy,” said Cameron.

Shaikh Abdullah said that both countries enjoy very strong historic ties. “The UAE has very good experience in energy fields. We also have very good reserves of hydrocarbon reserves which has prompted us to seek energy security by diversifying our energy mix in order to sustain our economic and social development purposes,” said Shaikh Abdullah.

He added:”Through Masdar we help disseminate renewable energy solutions in the UAE and in the world.”

Dominic Jermey, British Ambassador to the UAE, told Gulf News that the project stands for the strong economic and political ties between the UK and the UAE.

“The plant is a landmark and it will boost future investments further. The project will help transform energy supply in the UK,” remarked Jeremy.

“With 175 gigantic wind turbines, the plant is now exporting power to about 500,000 homes annually through the national grid. The total height to blade tip is 147 metres, higher than the Eye of London which is 135 metres. The rotor diameter is 120 metre,” said Richard Rigg, project director of London Array Limited Construction.

Rigg pointed out that turbine installation was completed in December 2012. Since then the project has focused on fully commissioning and putting into operation all 175 of the 3.6MW Siemens turbines by May 2013.

“This is a milestone construction. Construction on the onshore substation at Cleve Hill started in July 2009 and was completed in October 2012, while offshore construction started in March 2011, with a cost of €2.2 billion(Dh10.48 billion),” added Rigg.

Sultan Al Jaber, minister of state and CEO of Masdar, told Gulf News that London Array has become reality after overcoming land and sea challenges on both land and at sea.

“Masdar is a major partner of some of the world’s most sophisticated and large-scale renewable energy plants as we believe the value of robust collaborative efforts. We are proud to contribute to the clean energy mix in the UK and will be committed to growing offshore wind capacity in the UK and worldwide,” said Al Jaber.

He added that this is a true testament of investments in renewable energy projects.

“This is a great revolution which is based on partnerships and collaboration. We are eying projects in eastern parts of Asia, America, the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) and the European Union. We build on our accumulated experiences in renewable energy and see knew investments,” said Al Jaber.

He added that Masdar had become a landmark in renewable energy at international arenas.

“Our investment in London Array is purely commercial while our investments in some places such as Mauritania and Seychelles are for purposes of development and based on effecting social economic and development changes to improve the lives of residents of these countries,” he explained.

CO2 emission reduction

Rigg said that the environment-friendly project will help reduce harmful CO2 emissions by almost one million tonnes per year.

“This plant will make a big difference to the environment as well as help to provide a reliable electricity supply to south east England,” stressed Rigg.

London Array, which has been constructed about 20 kilometres off the coasts of Kent and Essex on a 100 square kilometre area, is a consortium with DONG Energy which has 50 per cent, E.ON has 30 per cent and Masdar has a 20 per cent stake. 


Possible phase II

A possible second phase could be possible in the future as studies are underway to help reach 1000GW capacity.

“We have submitted a plan and are currently conducting studies in this regard. The final say is at the court of the concerned authorities,” said Matt Pritton, commercial manager at London Array.





Fast facts



Wind Turbine type: Siemens 3.6MW

Number of turbines: 175

Total output: 630MW

Rotor diametre: 120 metre

Total height to blade tip: 147 metre

Blade weight: 18 tonnes

Nacelle weight: 190 tonnes

Tower weight: 180 tonnes

Total weight per turbine: 415 tonnes

Wind farm area: 100 square km

Substations: two 33kv/150kv

Cables: 200 kilometers of 33kv inter array cables and 210 km of 150kv export cables

Consortium: Dong Energy (50%), E.On (30%) and Masdar (20%)

London Array, world

 

[Al Bhatti]

Jul 4, 2013

The London Array, the world's largest off shore wind farm in the Thames Estuary off the coast of the UK.



Masdar looking beyond Thames offshore wind farm

Masdar is seeking its next UK clean energy project after the world's largest offshore wind farm was inaugurated in the Thames estuary yesterday.

The London Array, an assembly of 175 turbines that rise out of the waters of the Thames estuary that can produce up to 630 megawatts of electricity, owes its existence in no small part to Abu Dhabi.

Masdar, the emirate's clean energy company, agreed to take a 20 per cent stake in the project in 2008, after Shell pulled out of the consortium with the Danish wind-farm developer Dong and the German power company E.ON.

The £2.2 billion (Dh12.17bn) wind farm is Masdar's largest renewable energy venture to date, and has given the company an appetite for more investments of its kind.

"We are exploring further investment opportunities," said Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive, who said that the British government has created a favourable investment climate. "It does cater for what is needed to advance the sector. I believe the UK regulatory framework is robust and consistent."

The second phase of the array, which will bring its capacity close to 1,000MW, is widely expected to go ahead. The company had already laid the groundwork for further investment in the UK in May, signing an initial agreement with the UK Green Investment Bank to jointly develop clean energy in the country.

That coincided with a state visit to the UK by Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, during which a number of behind the scenes discussions over closer business ties took place.

"The United Arab Emirates has a strong legacy in the energy sector," said Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs. "We believe that by addressing energy security balancing the sources of power we rely on we can also create economic and social opportunity. Through Masdar, the UAE is seriously addressing this goal."

Britain's coalition government under the prime minister David Cameron has made great efforts to increase business with the Arabian Gulf, and the British leader came to Abu Dhabi last November to promote interests such as oil concessions in the emirate to the sale of fighter jets.

At yesterday's launch, the prime minister spoke of the success in attracting foreign investment.

"Last year, foreign direct investment into Europe as a whole went down by something like 40 per cent, but in the UK it went up by 24 per cent. We are making this country incredibly attractive for investors," Mr Cameron said.

The powerful elegance of the London Array's 147 metre-tall turbines is a testament to British commitment to renewable energy.

From a distance, a turbine's seemingly gradual rotation fails to convey the energy of its movements. Up close, the swooshing sound made by the blades as they cut through the air gives a better indication of the sheer power of wind, and the potential to harness it.

More than most countries, the UK is intent on utilising the wind's energy. The London Array is part of the second phase of wind farm development, one that will boost offshore wind power capacity to 8 gigawatts.

By the middle of this decade, a third phase of development is scheduled to begin, with wind farms that are set to dwarf the London Array in size.

Already, a small array near Grimsby is piloting a new 6MW Siemens wind turbine - the London Array's turbines each generate up to 3.6MW - and a new generation of these structures will make up windfarms that could push offshore capacity towards the potential 33GW-level targeted in 2009 in the UK Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment.

The stumbling block could be recent enthusiasm about shale gas reserves in the country. Last month, a study by the British Geological Survey found that the UK probably holds 1.3 trillion standard cubic feet of gas trapped in shale rock formations, double the previous estimates.

In the US, the extraction of shale gas through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, techniques has dramatically increased the supply of gas. Even before the findings, the UK finance minister George Osborne and other senior figures in the ruling coalition have endorsed a "dash for gas" - exploiting the country's shale resources at the expense of the renewables sector.

But the use of natural gas in power generation complements rather than undermines the development of the renewables sector, said Greg Barker, UK minister of state for energy and climate change.

"Rather than a new generation of domestically produced shale gas being a threat to the renewables agenda, I actually see it as a vital partner for a large scale roll out of renewables in the UK," he said.

Masdar looking beyond Thames offshore wind farm - The National

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Funded in part by Abu Dhabi, the London Array is the world's largest off shore wind farm in the Thames Estuary off the coast of the UK.