Danish energy giant, Dong Energy has completed the construction of a new operations & maintenance (O&M) centre in Kings Wharf, Seacombe in the UK.
This O&M centre will serve both the Burbo Bank offshore and the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm, which were opened in this May. These two wind farms produce enough energy to power more than 310,000 homes per year.
This new building will be used to store materials and equipment required for the ongoing maintenance of the wind farms, along with office facilities.
It will also feature a new ladder on the quay wall, which will enable boats to ‘push on’ directly, allowing technicians to board.
Dong claims to have invested £6m in the construction of this facility, while creating 75 jobs during the construction phase, which began last August. Once the facility is fully operational, Dong says that there will be around 45 permanent employees at the site.
Burbo Bank operations head Lee Rollason said: "Having operated out of Liverpool for over ten years DONG Energy is committed to investing in the North and this state of the art facility is another example of that. To have both our wind farms operating from here makes complete sense in terms of efficiencies and the site has excellent access offshore. We are proud to be operating from an important docklands location.
"As a local resident, I'm certainly pleased with the part we've had to play in regenerating this area. We've spent around £100,000 on the public pathway in front of the facility and it's great to see the community using this space already and receive positive comments from people appreciating this beautiful view of the Mersey."
Image: Dong Energy starts new O&M service centre in the UK. Photo: Courtesy of DONG Energy (UK) Ltd.