London Array sets up operations and maintenance base in
Ramsgate
The companies behind the London Array Offshore
wind farm have today (19/05/10) announced that the Port of Ramsgate
will become London Array’s construction and operations and
maintenance base for the project which, once complete, will be the
world’s largest offshore wind farm.
Up to 100 employees will be based at a newly
built operations and maintenance base, which will be complete by
summer 2011. The Port will also house a temporary base for the wind
farm’s construction team.
As part of the agreement, a new pontoon will
be built, and a new fuel pumping facility will be funded and
constructed by London Array in partnership with Thanet District
Council.
Once operational, the pontoon will berth up to
six service vessels capable of reaching the wind farm in around an
hour. During the offshore construction period, it is
anticipated that 15 service vessels could be operating out of the
Port of Ramsgate.
Richard Rigg, Project Director for London
Array, said: “We’re delighted to have signed up Ramsgate as our
construction and operations base as we look to take this exciting
project offshore early next year.
“It’s critical to the success of the scheme
that we have a base that can offer us everything we need to manage
the construction of the first phase of this flagship wind farm and
we know that we’ve found just that at Ramsgate.”
Leader of Thanet District Council, Bob
Bayford, said: "This is excellent news for Ramsgate and Thanet and
we're delighted that the Port of Ramsgate has been chosen as the
operations base. Not only will that bring much needed jobs into the
area, but it also helps to raise the profile of our port and the
excellent opportunities that it offers. Offshore energy is an
innovative green industry and one that we are proud to be
associated with."
Once complete, London Array will be the
world’s first 1GW offshore wind farm. Sited in the Thames Estuary,
the project will supply enough power for around 750,000 homes – or
a quarter of Greater London homes – and displace the emission of
1.9m tonnes of CO2 every year.
London Array will be built around 20km off the
coasts of Kent and Essex. The wind farm will be installed on a
245km2 site and will be built in two phases. Phase one,
planned to be complete in 2012, will cover 90km2 and
include 175 turbines with a combined capacity of 630MW. If
approved, the second phase will add enough capacity to bring the
total to 1,000MW.
The project is being developed by a consortium
comprising Dong Energy, E.ON and Masdar. The partners have
the following shareholdings: DONG Energy owns 50%, E.ON has 30% and
Masdar has a 20% stake.
Ends
Notes to editors
The agreement gives London Array:
- A 50 year lease for 8000m2 on
which the new operations and maintenance base will be built;
- A 2,500m² licenced site for the
Construction management facility for the duration of the
contract;
- A dedicated fuel faciltiy for
London Array vessels (available to all vessels using the Harbour at
non peak times) located near to the new pontoon;
- Overnight berthing within the
Marina for six operations and maintenance vessels for the duration
of the lease;
- Additional berthing for up to 15
crew vessels during the construction of the wind farm.
LondonArray animation:
A broadcast quality animation of the London
Array scheme is available for download by registering at the Video
Gallery section of http://www.eon-uk.com/ Media
pages.
DONG Energyis one of the
leading energy groups in Northern Europe. DONG Energy is
headquartered in Denmark. The company’s business is based on
procuring, producing, distributing and trading in energy and
related products in Northern Europe. DONG Energy has approximately
5,500 employees and generated more than DKK 60 billion (approx.
€8.2 billion) in revenue in 2008.
DONG Energy is a market leader in offshore
wind power, having built around half of all offshore wind farms
globally. The UK is one of DONG Energy’s primary markets for
offshore wind. DONG Energy is the sole owner of the 90MW Burbo Bank
and 50% owner of the 90MW Barrow project, both of which are in
commercial operation in the East Irish Sea. The Gunfleet Sands I+II
(total 172MW) commenced construction in early 2008 in the Thames
Estuary and are scheduled for commercial operation by the end of
2009. On April 22nd 2009 DONG Energy announced it was to
build the two wind farms Walney I and II in the Irish Sea. Further,
DONG Energy has a substantial pipeline of offshore wind projects in
the UK which are currently under planning and development. For more
information, please visit www.dongenergy.com
E.ON is one of the world’s
leading power and gas companies. With annual sales of more
than €86 billion and around 90,000 employees, it is one
of the world’s largest investor-owned power and gas
companies. E.ON Climate & Renewables, headquartered in
Düsseldorf, Germany, is responsible for E.ON Group’s global
renewables and climate protection activities. E.ON is investing 8
billion Euros in renewable generation and climate protection
projects from 2007 to 2011 and will play a leading role in the
development of the renewables industry worldwide. We are already
active in On and Offshore wind, Concentrating Solar Power (CSP),
Solar PV, Biomass and Biogas. E.ON currently has over 2.9GW of
renewable capacity in operation which makes the company a leading
global renewable player.
In the UK, E.ON’s renewables development
portfolio could, if built, power a million homes and displace the
emission of around two million tonnes of CO2. E.ON owns and
operates Scroby Sands offshore wind farm in the UK and is currently
commissioning the 180MW Robin Rigg offshore wind farm in the Solway
Firth. Renewable energy projects in other countries include
developing Rødsand II, a 207MW offshore wind farm of the Danish
coast and, with partners, the 60MW Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm
which is currently being built off the north coast of Germany. This
is the first deep water far shore scheme of its kind.
www.eon.com
The Masdar Initiative is Abu
Dhabi’s multi-faceted investment in the development and
commercialization of innovative technologies in renewable,
alternative and sustainable energies as well as sustainable design.
Masdar is a wholly owned company of the the Mubadala Development
Company (Mubadala). In January 2008, Abu Dhabi announced it will
invest $15 billion in Masdar, the largest single government
investment of its kind. Last year, Masdar entered into the London
Array scheme when it purchased 40 per cent of E.ON’s half share of
the London Array scheme, giving Masdar a 20% stake in the project
overall. Masdar, which works with a range of innovative renewable
energy companies and utilities, is continuously searching for
investment opportunities. The London Array investment is part of
Masdar’s global alternative energy strategy which includes solar,
wind and other renewable technologies. Masdar last month made a
significant investment into the Finnish wind-turbine manufacturer
WinWinD Oy, adding to Masdar’s growing portfolio of investments,
partnerships and production capabilities in the renewable energy
sector.
For more information about the Masdar
Initiative, please visit www.masdaruae.com
For more information about the London Array,
please visit http://www.londonarray.com
