A plan for the world’s largest wind farm has been unveiled. It will see some 270 turbines erected in the UK’s Thames Estuary – the £1.5 billion (€2.2 billion) London Array will be built about 20 km offshore and it should be generating its first output by 2008.

Shell and E.On are working with joint venture group Core, itself a joint venture between Farm Energy and Energi E2, to build the windfarm from 2006 to 2010. With government approval applied for the project could be generating 1 GW by 2011.

Each consortium member owns one-third of the project that is being sited to avoid major shipping routes in the estuary. Regulatory approval for the project is still required.

The news came just ahead of the opening of the UK’s largest wind farm to date. The 58.5 MW farm near Devil’s Bridge in Ceredigion, Wales, brings UK installed wind capacity to 1.038 GW.

The 39 turbine, £50 million (€73 million) development is officially the largest onshore wind farm in the UK.