The project, which marks RWE npower’s second major wind farm off the Welsh coastline, is intended to help the UK government reach its 20% renewables aim by 2020. The Rhyl Flats offshore wind farm will consist of 25 3.6MW wind turbines, compared to the 30 turbines at the neighboring North Hoyle offshore wind farm.
RWE npower, the UK arm of German utility RWE, said that, once operational, Rhyl Flats, along with North Hoyle, will produce enough green electricity every year to meet the needs of over 100,000 homes and will prevent the release of around 410,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.
RWE npower retail will use the electricity from both wind farms to supply customers’ homes through its green product, npower juice. It will also help to power major UK businesses, including BT and Marks and Spencer, and supply venues such as Wembley Stadium and Lord’s with green electricity.
Malcolm Wicks MP, minister for energy at the department for business, enterprise and regulatory reform, said: Offshore wind farms can make a real contribution to the UK’s renewable electricity targets and we want to see more of them. We backed Rhyl Flats with a GBP10 million capital grant and we set out measures in the recent energy white paper that will provide even more support to developers through the renewables obligation.
Offshore foundation construction work at the Rhyl Flats site is due to begin in late July 2007, while works installing the 25 wind turbines will begin in 2008. The first turbines are expected to start generating in November 2008, with project completion anticipated in July 2009.
The Rhyl Flats scheme was purchased by RWE npower’s renewables unit from Celtic Offshore Wind Limited in 2002, after consent had been given for the project by the UK department of trade and industry.
