Greater Gabbard wind farm
| Greater Gabbard Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Country | England |
| Location | Inner Gabbard and The Galloper banks North Sea Suffolk Coast |
| Coordinates | 51°52′48″N 1°56′24″E / 51.88°N 1.94°ECoordinates: 51°52′48″N 1°56′24″E / 51.88°N 1.94°E |
| Status | Under construction |
| Commission date | 2012 (expected) |
| Owner(s) | Scottish and Southern RWE Npower Renewables |
| Turbine information | |
| Turbines | 140 |
| Manufacturer(s) | Siemens Wind Power |
| Model(s) | Siemens 3.6 MW turbines |
| Wind farm information | |
| Distance from shore | 23 km (14 mi) |
| Power generation information | |
| Maximum capacity | 500 MW |
| As of 21 January 2011 | |
Greater Gabbard is a 500 MW wind farm under construction on sandbanks 23 kilometres (14 mi) off the coast of Suffolk in England at a cost between £650 million[1] to £1.5 billion.[2] Onshore construction activities commenced in early July 2008 at Sizewell and Siemens SWT3.6-107 turbines are projected to be delivered over 2009 and 2010.[1][3]
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[edit] History
The project was originally developed by Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Limited (GGOWL) which was a joint venture between Airtricity and Fluor. Airtricity was subsequently bought by Scottish and Southern Energy who have bought out Fluor's 50% stake for £40m which is expected to cost £1.3b. Fluor are now contracted to design, supply, installation and commissioning of the balance of the plant.[4] Scottish and Southern sold a 50% stake to RWE, the owners of Npower (UK), in November 2008 for £308m.[5]
The project was given the go-ahead in May 2008.[6]. As of July 2011 erection of the turbines was two thirds complete, with all the pile foundations installed.
In October 2009 Seajacks Ltd delivered its 7,000 tonne Leviathan vessel to Fluor Ltd which will sailed to Harwich to prepare the hook-up and commissioning of an in-field substation and then installation of the turbines.[7] The first foundations were installed in autumn 2009 with the first of a total of 140 turbines to be installed in the spring 2010. Construction is expected to be completed in 2012.[8]
As of April 2011, a total of 108 wind turbines had been installed,[1] and the first Mwh of generation was achieved on 29 December 2010.
An extension of the project, called Galloper, may be agreed upon during 2012.[1]
[edit] Specification
- Number of turbines: up to 140[2]
- Power rating: 500 MW
- Load factor: 'greater than 40%'[1]
- Estimated output: 1.9 TWh per year
- Cost: £1512 million[2] (£650 million not counting grid connection)[1]
- Location: offshore, 23 kilometres (14 mi) from Sizewell on the Inner Gabbard and The Galloper sandbanks[4]
[edit] Incidents
On 12 November 2009, a man was killed and a woman injured after a chain broke and the two people were hit with pieces of the chain. Police responded to the incident, and an investigation was launched. The casualties were on board a tugboat, the Typhoon.[9]
A man died and another suffered serious injuries following an accident at Parkeston Quay, Harwich. Per Terp, a 42-year-old Siemens engineer from Norresundby, Denmark, died in the incident. A 43-year-old German national was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The incident happened on Friday, May 21 at about 7.50 am while loading a wind turbine blade on the vessel Seajack.[10][11]
[edit] See also
- List of offshore wind farms
- List of offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom
- List of offshore wind farms in the North Sea
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Project, United Kingdom Power Technology. Retrieved: 10 November 2010.
- ^ a b c Greater Gabbard 4c . Retrieved: 18 August 2010.
- ^ "Greater Gabbard". Scottish and Southern Energy. http://www.scottish-southern.co.uk/SSEInternet/index.aspx?rightColHeader=30&id=15836.
- ^ a b "Scottish and Southern Energy: Greater Gabbard project information". http://www.scottish-southern.co.uk/SSEInternet//index.aspx?rightColHeader=30&id=15836&TierSlicer1_TSMenuTargetID=200&TierSlicer1_TSMenuTargetType=4&TierSlicer1_TSMenuID=6.
- ^ Milner, Mark (2008-11-04). "SSE sells half a North Sea windfarm for £300m". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/04/greater-gabbard-windfarm-sse-npower. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ "Greater Gabbard Wind Project Gets Go-ahead". http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52579.
- ^ "Arrival of Seajacks Leviathan Liftboat Marks Start of Contract at World’s Largest Offshore Wind Development". http://www.yourindustrynews.com/arrival+of+seajacks+leviathan+liftboat+marks+start+of+contract+at+world%E2%80%99s+largest+offshore+wind+development_39552.html.
- ^ "Lowestoft wind farm project gathering pace". Lowestoft Journal. 2009-11-02. http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/content/lowestoftjournal/news/story.aspx?brand=LOWOnline&category=NEWS&tBrand=lowonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED02%20Nov%202009%2000%3A06%3A05%3A543.
- ^ "Harwich: Tragedy at wind farm site". Harwich and Manningtree Standard. 2009-11-13. http://www.harwichandmanningtreestandard.co.uk/news/localnews/4737796.Harwich__Tragedy_at_wind_farm_site/.
- ^ "Fatal incident at Harwich Port". Essex Police. http://www.essex.police.uk/default.aspx?page=5674.
- ^ Fatal accident in Harwich vertikal.net, 21 May 2010. Retrieved: 18 August 2010.
[edit] External links
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