German energy company RWE along with partners has opened the £2bn Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm in North Wales, UK.
Located eight miles offshore in Liverpool Bay, the 576MW wind farm features 160 Siemens 3.6MW turbines that generate enough energy for more than 400,000 homes in the UK.
RWE Innogy holds a 60% stake in the project, while Stadtwerke München and Siemens own 30% and 10% interests respectively.
The wind farm, which extends over an area of about 80km², also features 160 steel monopile foundations, two offshore substations and 134kms of onshore cable installations.
A £3.6m operations and maintenance base for the facility has been constructed at the Port of Mostyn.
Siemens said the project created significant opportunity for Wales’ economy, worth more than £90m to the local companies during construction, and will continue to do throughout its operational life.
UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Amber Rudd said: "This offshore wind project will generate enough clean electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes and will support 100 long term, skilled engineering jobs, giving more people the financial security of a regular pay packet.
"Gwynt y Môr has a key role to play in our long-term plan to develop a secure energy mix in this country that is diverse and home grown."
RWE Innogy CEO Hans Bünting said: "At the end of this year 40% of our power generation from renewables will already come from offshore power production. Due to this increase in offshore capacity our operating result will see double-digit growth."
Image: The Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm features 160 Siemens 3.6MW turbines. Photo: courtesy of Siemens AG.