The world’s largest operational offshore wind farm, Walney Extension, will be officially opened at a ceremony in Cumbria today (Thursday 6th September). The 659-megawatt (MW) project, owned by Ørsted (50%) and partners PKA (25%) and PFA (25%), leapfrogs London Array to become the world’s largest operational wind farm. Walney Extension’s 87 turbines are capable of generating 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 40 MHI Vestas 8MW turbines and a further 47 Siemens Gamesa 7MW turbines – with blades manufactured in the UK (Hull and the Isle of Wight).

The project has worked with key suppliers from across the UK, supporting the growth of offshore wind “clusters” around the country. More than 50 local suppliers, from Carlisle to Lancaster, were involved throughout construction. The completion of Walney Extension brings Ørsted’s total capacity operating out of Barrow up to 1.5 gigawatts (GW), which is enough to power more than 1.2 million UK homes. Ørsted’s ongoing operations and maintenance activities will support more than 250 direct jobs in the region.

Matthew Wright, Ørsted UK managing director, said: ” The project is a sign of how dramatically wind technology has progressed in the past five years since the previous biggest, the London Array, was finished. The new windfarm uses less than half the number of turbines but is more powerful. “It’s another benchmark in terms of the scale. This – bigger turbines, with fewer positions and a bit further out – is really the shape of projects going forward.”The UK is the global leader in offshore wind and Walney Extension showcases the industry’s incredible success story. The project, completed on time and within budget, also marks another important step towards Ørsted’s vision of a world that runs entirely on green energy. “The North-West region plays an important role in our UK offshore wind operations and our aim is to make a lasting and positive impact here. We want to ensure that the local community becomes an integral part of the renewable energy revolution that’s happening along its coastline.”

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry, said: “Record-breaking engineering landmarks like this huge offshore windfarm help us consolidate our global leadership position, break records for generating renewable energy, and create thousands of high quality jobs. ”As part of our modern Industrial Strategy we’ve set out a further £557 million of funding for new renewable projects, helping to tackle climate change and deliver clean growth to local economies.” Click here to read more