The world’s largest operational offshore wind farm, Walney Extension, will officially open today at a ceremony in Barrow in the north-west of England. Walney Extension, which is owned by Ørsted and its partners PFA and PKA, is the first project to use wind turbines from two different manufacturers.
Walney Extension’s 87 wind turbines can produce enough green energy to power almost 600,000 UK homes. Covering an area of 145km2 in the Irish Sea, the project becomes Ørsted’s 11th operational offshore wind farm in the UK.
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Walney Extension features 47 MHI Vestas 8MW wind turbines and a further 40 Siemens Gamesa 7MW wind turbines. Walney Extension will now become home to the project’s operations and maintenance team.
Matthew Wright, Ørsted UK Managing Director, stated:
The North-West region plays an important role in our UK offshore wind operations and our aim is to make a lasting and positive impact here. We want to ensure that the local community becomes an integral part of the renewable energy revolution that’s happening along its coastline.
