The turbines will supply power to 230,000 homes. The project, located in Liverpool Bay, is an addition to the Burbo Bank Wind Farm; an older facility installed nearly a decade ago.
The wind farm is a joint venture between DONG Energy (50 percent) and its partners PKA (25 percent) and KIRKBI A/S, parent company of the LEGO Group (25 percent). It is the first offshore wind farm in the world to make commercial use of the MHI Vestas V164-8.0 MW wind turbines.
Each of the 32 turbines is capable of generating 8MWs of power. According to the company, a single revolution of one of these enormous blades can power a house for 29 hours.
"Burbo Bank Extension showcases the rapid innovation in the offshore wind industry," said DONG Energy Chief Executive Officer Henrik Poulsen. "Less than ten years ago at Burbo Bank, we were the first to install Siemens 3.6MW wind turbines and in this short time, the wind turbines have more than doubled in capacity."
DONG Energy is building an operations facility in Merseyside that will serve both Burbo Bank Extension and the existing wind farm in the area, Burbo Bank. Up to 75 jobs will be created during the construction of the facility, while around 45 people will be permanently employed at the site once it is operational later this year..
For additional information:
