The world’s largest operational offshore wind farm, Walney Extension, opened 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.
About Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm
Owned by Ørsted (50%), PKA (25%) and PFA (25%)
Located in the Irish Sea - approximately 19km from the Walney Island coast in Cumbria
Covers an area of 145km2 equal to around 20,000 football pitches
Total capacity of 659MW – capable of powering almost 600,000 UK homes
First project to use turbine technology from two different manufacturers
More than 200km of cables used to connect the turbines offshore to the National Grid onshore
Features two offshore substations, each weighing 4,000 tonnes. The jacket foundation height is 50m, and topside height is 18.5m.
About the offshore wind turbines at Walney Extension
Siemens Gamesa
40 x 7MW
Rotor diameter: 154m
Height (from sea level to blade tip): 188m
Each blade weighs 28 tonnes
MHI Vestas
47 x 8MW
Rotor diameter: 164m
Height (from sea level to blade tip): 195m
Each blade weighs 34 tonnes
The 659MW project, owned by Ørsted (50%) and its partners, the Danish pension funds PKA (25%) and PFA (25%), leapfrogs London Array to become the world’s largest operational wind farm.
Walney Extension’s 87 wind turbines can generate 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.
Utilising the latest technology from two of the world’s leading turbine manufacturers, Walney Extension features 47 MHI Vestas 8MW wind turbines and a further 40 Siemens Gamesa 7MW wind turbines.
Construction of Walney Extension was co-ordinated from Ørsted’s West Coast Hub, at the Port of Barrow, which will now become home to the project’s operations and maintenance team. The West Coast Hub also services three further Ørsted offshore wind farms, i.e. Barrow, Walney and West of Duddon Sands.
The completion of Walney Extension brings Ørsted’s total capacity operating out of Barrow up to 1.5GW. Ørsted’s ongoing operations and maintenance activities will support more than 250 direct jobs in the region.