Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm
10:10 AM
The Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm project was initially developed by Celtic Offshore Wind Limited (COWL) as part of the UK's Round 1 offshore wind farm programme. COWL received consent for the project in 2002, and in December 2002 the project was purchased by Npower Renewables (formerly National Wind Power and now a subsidiary of German firm RWE), who were also developing the neighbouring North Hoyle and Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farms. Offshore construction work at Rhyl Flats began in July 2007 and the completed project was officially opened on 2 December 2009.
North Hoyle was completed in 2003, just a few kilometers east of Rhyl Flats. The Round 1 projects were intended to act as testbeds; building the UK's understanding of offshore wind, whilst in total also providing well over 1000 MW of green generating capacity for the UK. All of the Round 1 offshore wind farms were limited to a maximum area of 10 km², and no more than 30 wind turbines.
The first electricity was supplied by the site on 15 July 2009. The project consists of 25 Siemens Wind Power SWT-107-3.6 wind turbines, each rated at 3.6 MW capacity. This gives the project a maximum output of 90 MW; a third greater than the neighbouring North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, but with 5 fewer wind turbines and spread over a smaller area. At the time of installation, Rhyl Flats is expected to generate enough electricity to power 60,000 homes on average.
| Rhyl Flats Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
| Locale | 8 km north east of Llandudno in Liverpool Bay, Wales |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | December 2009 |
| Owner(s) | RWE npower Renewables |
| Turbine information | |
| Manufacturer(s) | Siemens Wind Power |
| Power station information | |
| Generation units | 25 × Siemens 3.6 MW turbines |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | 90 MW |
