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Wind turbines are now being installed at Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm

RWE npower renewables is currently constructing the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm in a joint venture with Scottish and Southern Energy.

Greater Gabbard involves the installation of 140 Siemens 3.6MW wind turbines located around two sand banks known as Inner Gabbard and The Galloper in the North Sea, off the Suffolk Coast.

The wind farm, which is located 25 kilometres off the coast of Suffolk, will comprise 140 wind turbines and, when fully operational, will have a capacity of 504 megawatts. This will provide enough clean electricity to power around 530,000 homes*.

So far, all of the foundations for the turbines have been installed and 108 wind turbines have now been erected. Senior Project Manager Vince Read from RWE npower renewables said, “The completion of Phase 1 of the project - the first 42 turbines represented a significant step in the construction of Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm. The remainder of the turbines will be erected in 2011. We are on course to complete the wind farm by 2012.”

The 3.6 megawatt wind turbines are being connected to the grid via an onshore substation at Sizewell in Suffolk. Buried cables connect the turbines to the substation, while underground cables owned by National Grid Electricity Transmission will connect the sub-station to the National Grid. A permanent operations base has been established at the port of Lowestoft.

Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Limited is a 50/50 joint venture partnership between Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and RWE npower renewables. RWE npower renewables and SSE will share the electricity output 50-50.

* Based on site specific met mast data indicating a load factor of at least 40%, and based on household consumption of 3,300kWh a year.