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Almost ten years after it was commissioned, the London Array Wind Farm is still in contention as one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, but only in terms of the number of turbines installed. With 175 wind turbines, it was a significant step forward compared to its neighboring wind farms in Kent. When it was commissioned in 2013, it was the world’s largest wind farm, a monumental feat for the offshore wind industry in the United Kingdom.
Where is the London Array wind farm?
The project is located at the Outer Thames estuary farther north from the Kent coast and close to Gunfleet Sands Wind Farm to the West. It is approximately 20 kilometers away from Essex and Kent coastlines. The farm’s location is sandwiched in between the sandbanks of Long Sand and Kentish Knock. It powers London via the national grid, hence the name.
Who owns London Array Wind Farm?
The London Array project is owned by a three-way partnership after Shell WindEnergy 2008 backed out of the initial collaboration with DONG energy (now Ørsted). The consortium is formally known as London Array Ltd.
Ørsted is the majority shareholder at 50% and one of the original proponents, with E.ON UK Renewables at 30% and Masdar at 20% after acquiring the shares of Shell WindEnergy.
Just a few months after commissioning, in September 2013, London Array Ltd. sold the transmission assets to Blue Transmission London Array Ltd, a company owned by Mitsubishi and Barclays, for £459 million. The transmission assets include two offshore substations and export cables 54 km long and 770 meters of onshore cabling.
The lease given by the Crown Estate to London Array Project Ltd. is a 50-year contract that will last until 2053.
How large is the London Array offshore wind farm project?
London Array Wind Farm project is a little over 100 square kilometers in size across the North Sea.
It is the first of many projects with many turbines installed, more than nearby wind farms — Kentish Flats, Kentish Flats Extension, and Thanet — combined. Developers fully utilized the 100 square kilometre farm to install the 175 turbines.
In the 2000s, the wind farms were limited to 30 turbines each as the wind farm technologies were still developing. When London Array changed that, it was a significant step up in the design of offshore wind farms.
How much wind energy does the project produce?
The 175 wind turbines of the London Array have achieved an installed capacity of 630 MW. Since its commissioning in 2013, it has delivered green electricity to half a million homes every year. In 2015, London Array provided 2 Terawatt hours of wind power to the national grid, a key contributor to wind energy in the UK.
| Number of Turbines | 175 |
| Turbine Nameplate Capacity | 3.6 MW |
| Total Capacity | 630 MW |
When was first power of the London Array Wind Farm?
The wind farm was officially inaugurated in July 2013, almost a year after London Array delivered its first power in October 2012 and seven months after installing the final turbine in December 2012.
All the turbines were tested and fully operational in April 2013.
Is it a fixed or floating foundation?
The project used a fixed monopile foundation for its turbines.
London Array Turbines
Wind turbines capture wind energy since they convert renewable wind power into electricity. London Array installed 175 Siemens offshore wind turbines in the project to maximize the amount of energy creation. These were installed in a single phase in 2011 and 2012
Due to the low capacity of each turbine (3.6 MW), the spacing of each turbine won’t need to be too far, so the turbines were placed nearer to each other. Within 100 square kilometers, the London Array can power more than half a million homes annually with clean electricity.
Who makes the turbines?
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy supplied the London Array turbines.
What is the turbine model?
London Array uses Siemens turbines. The turbines begin to generate energy at wind speeds of 3 meters per second and will start to brake at 25 meters per second. The turbine’s maximum efficiency is 13 meters per second.
How much power will each turbine produce?
Each turbine can deliver 3.6 MW of installed capacity.
London Array Phase Two
In 2005, when the project applied for planning permission, the proposed capacity was up to 1 GW with more than 200 turbines. However, when sectioned off into two phases, the 370 MW second phase was under greater scrutiny due to its potential impact on bird species.
Due to the limitations of the data and the technical challenges, investor interest in the second phase waned. In 2014, London Array Ltd formally asked the Crown Estate to end the lease for Phase Two. Accordingly, the company had foregone its reserved capacity at the Cleve Hill Onshore Substation.