Walney Wind Farm
Encyclopedia
Walney Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm
currently under construction 14km west of Walney Island
off the coast of Cumbria
, in the Irish Sea
, England
. It is being developed by Walney (UK) Offshore Windfarms Limited, a partnership between Dong Energy
and Scottish and Southern Energy. The farm is immediately north west of the West Duddon wind farm and also to the west of Ormonde
wind farm. The farm is in water depths ranging from 19m to 23m and will cover an area of approximately 73 sq km.
In 2004 Dong Energy was awarded a 50 year lease from The Crown Estate to develop a wind farm off Walney Island, as part of the second UK offshore wind farm tendering process known as "Round 2". The farm will be constructed sequentially in two phases with overlapping installation activities to reduce the overall construction timeframe.
The project involves constructing the wind turbines and their foundations, building two offshore substations and installing two undersea power cables, one for each phase, and two short onshore cables to connect to two existing onshore Electrical substation
s for connection into the UK National Grid. Phase 1 will connect to a substation at Heysham
, phase 2 will connect to substation at Stanah, south of Fleetwood
. Both undersea cables will pass close by the Barrow
wind farm. All the construction work is expected to take less than 2 years, with both phases operational by the end of 2011.
Both phases will have 51 turbines
giving a nameplate capacity of 367 MW.
As of 11 July 2011 phase 1 is operational, comprising 51 turbines with an installed capacity of 183.6MW.
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
currently under construction 14km west of Walney Island
Walney Island
The Isle of Walney, also known as Walney Island, is an island in the United Kingdom which lies off the west coast of England, at the northern tip of Morecambe Bay. It forms part of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, and it is separated from the mainland at Barrow by Walney Channel, a narrow channel...
off the coast of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is being developed by Walney (UK) Offshore Windfarms Limited, a partnership between Dong Energy
DONG Energy
-History:The Danish state company Dansk Naturgas A/S was founded in 1972 to manage resources in the Danish sector of the North Sea. After some years, the company was renamed to Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S . At the beginning of 2000s, DONG started to extend itself into the electricity market by...
and Scottish and Southern Energy. The farm is immediately north west of the West Duddon wind farm and also to the west of Ormonde
Ormonde
Ormonde was an English Thoroughbred racehorse, an unbeaten Triple Crown winner, generally considered to be one of the greatest racehorses ever.-Breeding:...
wind farm. The farm is in water depths ranging from 19m to 23m and will cover an area of approximately 73 sq km.
In 2004 Dong Energy was awarded a 50 year lease from The Crown Estate to develop a wind farm off Walney Island, as part of the second UK offshore wind farm tendering process known as "Round 2". The farm will be constructed sequentially in two phases with overlapping installation activities to reduce the overall construction timeframe.
The project involves constructing the wind turbines and their foundations, building two offshore substations and installing two undersea power cables, one for each phase, and two short onshore cables to connect to two existing onshore Electrical substation
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
s for connection into the UK National Grid. Phase 1 will connect to a substation at Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
, phase 2 will connect to substation at Stanah, south of Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
. Both undersea cables will pass close by the Barrow
Barrow Offshore Wind
The Barrow Offshore Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm in the East Irish Sea approximately south west of Walney Island, near Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, with an installed capacity of 90 MW. The 30 turbine wind farm was completed in June 2006 and first power was generated in...
wind farm. All the construction work is expected to take less than 2 years, with both phases operational by the end of 2011.
Both phases will have 51 turbines
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
giving a nameplate capacity of 367 MW.
As of 11 July 2011 phase 1 is operational, comprising 51 turbines with an installed capacity of 183.6MW.
Planning
The key planning consents obtained are the following:- Consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to construct and operate a windfarm. This will also cover the offshore cables and other infrastructure.
- FEPA License under section 5 of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, concerning the protection of marine ecosystems.
- Consent under section 34 of the Coast Protection Act 1949 in order to make provision for the safety of navigation in relation to the export cables.
- Planning permission under section 90 of the Town and County Planning Act 1990, sought as part of the section 36 application, for the onshore elements of the works (“Deemed planning permission”).
- Extinguishment of public rights of navigation will be requested under the Energy Act 2004 for the areas of seabed directly covered by the offshore structures.