Engineering news
Planning consent has been granted for what could be the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the Lincolnshire coast.
RWE Npower Renewables has been granted permission to construct Triton Knoll, a 288-turbine 1,200MW wind farm 20 miles off the coast of Mablethorne. When fully operational the farm is expected to generate power for 820,000 homes.
Once constructed the Triton Knoll wind farm will be larger than the London Array which has 175 turbines and is capable of powering 500,000 homes.
The project is expected to generate £3.6 billion of investment in Lincolnshire and Norfolk and create around 1,130 jobs across the country.
Secretary of state Edward Davey, who announced the project, said: “Only last week the Prime Minister opened the London Array, the largest operating wind farm in the world, and today we gave planning permission to build a bigger offshore wind farm.”
RWE is due to submit a planning application for the electrical system components of the offshore wind farm in 2014. Triton Knoll construction is expected to begin in 2016.
Edward Davey also confirmed that construction of the Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm in South Wales, which is expected to create 300 jobs, will go ahead in early 2014.
He said: “These two projects will attract billions in investment into the UK, support hundreds of skilled green jobs in Lincolnshire, Norfolk and in the county boroughs of Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf whilst providing homes with clean energy.”
There 76-turbine Pen y Cymoedd wind farm is expected to start generating power for the National Grid in late 2016. Once completed it will be the largest onshore wind farm in England and Wales and provide power for 140,000 homes.