Iberdrola, through its subsidiary ScottishPower Renewables, and Dong Energy have opened the €2bn West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea, England, UK.
Situated about 20km off the Barrow-in-Furness coastline in North West England, the 389MW wind farm will generate enough energy for about 280,000 homes per year.
The wind farm, which covers a total area of 67km2, features 108 Siemens 3.6MW turbines.
As part of the project, the partners have installed over 200km of undersea cables and a £50m offshore wind terminal was built at Belfast Harbour.
The energy generated from the project will be initially connected to an offshore substation, designed by Iberdrola’s engineering subsidiary.
The voltage is raised in the substation and then two undersea cables export the energy to the Heysham onshore substation, which is the point of connection to the UK national grid.
UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey, who opened the wind farm, said the facility will generate enough clean electricity to power more than a quarter of a million homes and give the local economy a major and sustained boost.
"We want an energy mix that is built on diverse, home grown sources to make sure our supplies are clean and secure. Wind has a huge role to play, which is why the UK is the best place in the world to invest in offshore wind projects."
ScottishPower and Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galan said: "The project has been a significant engineering challenge, with many obstacles to overcome, but ultimately it has been a major success. It has tested the UK’s ability to deliver major renewable energy projects, in terms of workforce skills, supply chain depth, facilities and logistics.
"Ultimately it has given us great confidence that we can continue to reduce the costs of offshore wind, and strengthened our appetite to deliver the larger and more challenging Round 3 offshore projects."
Image: The West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm features 108 Siemens 3.6MW turbines. Photo: Courtesy of DONG Energy A/S.