Gwynt y Môr explained

Country:Wales, UK
Location:off the coast of Wales, UK
Cost:€2bn
Owner:RWE
Operator:Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm Limited
Wind Hub Height:98m (322feet)
Wind Rotor Diameter:107m (351feet)
Ps Site Area:801NaN1
Wind Offshore Depth:12-
Wind Offshore Distance:18km (11miles)
Ps Electrical Cap Fac:31.7%[1]

cy|'''Gwynt y Môr'''|sea wind|italic=no is a 576-megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm located off the coast of north Wales and is the fifth largest operating offshore windfarm in the world. The farm has 160 wind turbines of 150m (490feet) tip height above mean sea level.[2]

Planning consent for the project was granted on 3 December 2008. The project has a value of 2 billion Euros, of which 1.2 billion Euros were spent on turbines and electrical connections. Construction began in 2012, power production started in September 2013, construction phase ended in November 2014, and final commissioning occurred in June 2015.

In May 2020 plans to add up to 107 new turbines were submitted to Flintshire Council, increasing the windfarm by an extra 41 square miles, with a generating capacity of at least 100 megawatts.[3]

Design and planning

As with all offshore wind farms in the UK the Crown Estate[4] owns the seabed at Gwynt y Môr. It has agreed to lease the land to RWE npower renewables. The wind farm is located close to the existing North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats offshore wind farms. These projects are wholly or partly owned by RWE npower renewables, a subsidiary of German company RWE. In the case of Gwynt y Môr, RWE holds 50%, Stadtwerke München holds 30%, Siemens holds 10% and UK Green Investment Bank holds 10%.[5]

With 160 turbines[6] of 3.6MW Siemens SWT-3.6-107, Gwynt y Môr will be Wales' largest wind farm. The output of 1,950 GWh per year is capable of powering around 400,000 homes, or 30% of the homes in Wales. This prevents the release of about 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.[6] [7]

Planning consent for the project was granted on 3 December 2008.[8] The project has a value of 2 billion Euros. 1.2 billion Euros will go to Siemens for turbines and electrical connections.

Two floating experimental LIDAR wind measurement stations have been tested at the site for two years.[9]

Construction

Construction work began offshore in January 2011 when pieces of rock were laid on softer parts of the seabed to secure the foundations of the turbines.[10] Work began on laying undersea cables from the windfarm to the shore in August 2012.[11] The project uses four 132 kV subsea cables manufactured by NKT.[12] In order to feed electricity into the national grid, a substation was built near St Asaph in Denbighshire.[11]

Power production started in September 2013.[13] Final commissioning was completed on 18 June 2015.[14] [15]

Its levelised cost has been estimated at £179/MWh.[16]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UK offshore wind capacity factors . 27 January 2017 . 19 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170219155418/http://energynumbers.info/uk-offshore-wind-capacity-factors . 19 February 2017 . dead .
  2. Web site: RWE Innogy - Tech and Spec . 18 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160113015542/http://www.rwe.com/web/cms/en/1252456/rwe-innogy/sites/wind-offshore/in-operation/gwynt-y-mr/tech-and-spec/ . 13 January 2016 . live .
  3. Web site: Large wind farm off North Wales coast could be set to grow further with plans for 107 new turbines. North.Wales. 19 May 2020. 28 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200528045421/https://north.wales/news/large-wind-farm-off-north-wales-coast-could-be-set-to-grow-further-with-plans-for-107-new-turbines-15660.html. live.
  4. Web site: The Crown Estate. 25 July 2007. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928204347/http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/our_portfolio/marine/33_energy_and_telecoms-2/offshore_wind_energy.htm. 28 September 2007. dmy-all.
  5. greeninvestmentbank.com 31 March 2014: UK Green Investment Bank invests £461m in the UK offshore wind sector
  6. http://www.rwe.com/web/cms/mediablob/en/427766/data/250908/65428/rwe-npower-renewables/blob.pdf RWE Innogy, Stadtwerke München and Siemens build offshore wind farm Gwynt y Môr
  7. Web site: Go-ahead for wind farm puts Wales on track to meet clean energy targets . . 11 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305114150/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/dec/04/wind-farm-wales . 5 March 2016 . live .
  8. Web site: Giant wind farm gets the go-ahead. BBC Wales. 2008-12-03. 2008-12-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20081206080420/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7762242.stm. 6 December 2008. live.
  9. Weston, David. "Lidar test completed at Gwynt y Mor " Windpower offshore, 20 February 2015. Accessed: 25 February 2015.
  10. News: Gwynt y Môr: Wind farm work to begin offshore near Llandudno . BBC . 23 January 2012 . 31 January 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120127172743/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-16676555 . 27 January 2012 . live .
  11. News: Gwynt y Mor windfarm: Sea cable laying work starts . BBC . 8 August 2012 . 31 January 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120812070335/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-19178197 . 12 August 2012 . live .
  12. Web site: 2010-09-14. RWE places Gwynt y Môr cable order. 2022-02-20. Modern Power Systems. 8 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200808132044/https://www.modernpowersystems.com/news/newsrwe-places-gwynt-y-m-r-cable-order. live.
  13. Web site: WalesOnline: Gwynt y Mor, Wales' largest offshore wind farm, generates power for first time . 17 September 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130910014622/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/gwynt-y-mor-wales-largest-5849049 . 10 September 2013 . live .
  14. windpoweroffshore.com, David Weston, UK: RWE has completed the construction phase of the 576MW Gwynt y Mor project ahead of final commissioning next year, 24 November 2014
  15. Web site: World's second largest offshore wind farm opens off coast of Wales. Wales Online. 18 June 2015. 18 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150619014734/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/worlds-second-largest-offshore-wind-9476670. 19 June 2015. live.
  16. Aldersey-Williams . John . Broadbent . Ian D. . Strachan . Peter A. . Better estimates of LCOE from audited accounts – A new methodology with examples from United Kingdom offshore wind and CCGT . Energy Policy . 1 May 2019 . 128 . 25–35 . 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.12.044. 10059/3298 . 158158724 . free .

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