Rhyl Flats
Encyclopedia
Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm is a 25 turbine wind farm
approximately 8 km north east of Llandudno
in North Wales
. It is Wales
' second offshore wind farm and the third offshore wind farm to be built within Liverpool Bay
. It has a maximum rated output of 90 MW.
(formerly National Wind Power and now a subsidiary of German firm RWE
), who were also developing the neighbouring North Hoyle
and Gwynt y Môr
offshore wind farms. Offshore construction work at Rhyl Flats began in July 2007 and the completed project was officially opened on 2 December 2009.
North Hoyle was completed in 2003, just a few kilometers east of Rhyl Flats. The Round 1 projects were intended to act as testbeds; building the UK's understanding of offshore wind, whilst in total also providing well over 1000 MW of green generating capacity for the UK. All of the Round 1 offshore wind farms were limited to a maximum area of 10 km², and no more than 30 wind turbines.
s, each rated at 3.6 MW capacity. This gives the project a maximum output of 90 MW; a third greater than the neighbouring North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, but with 5 fewer wind turbines and spread over a smaller area. At the time of installation, Rhyl Flats is expected to generate enough electricity
to power 60,000 homes on average.
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...
approximately 8 km north east of Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. It is Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
' second offshore wind farm and the third offshore wind farm to be built within Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence...
. It has a maximum rated output of 90 MW.
Construction
The Rhyl Flats project was initially developed by Celtic Offshore Wind Limited (COWL) as part of the UK's Round 1 offshore wind farm programme. COWL received consent for the project in 2002, and in December 2002 the project was purchased by Npower RenewablesNpower (UK)
RWE Npower plc is a UK-based electricity and gas supply generation company, formerly known as Innogy plc. As Innogy plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
(formerly National Wind Power and now a subsidiary of German firm RWE
RWE
RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe...
), who were also developing the neighbouring North Hoyle
North Hoyle
North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm is Wales' first offshore wind farm, and the UK's first major offshore renewable power project. Situated in Liverpool Bay, it commenced operation in 2003....
and Gwynt y Môr
Gwynt y Môr
Gwynt y Môr is a proposed 576 MW offshore wind farm located off the coast of North Wales. Planning consent for the project was granted on the 3rd of December 2008, and construction is expected to begin in 2011 with final commissioning in 2014....
offshore wind farms. Offshore construction work at Rhyl Flats began in July 2007 and the completed project was officially opened on 2 December 2009.
North Hoyle was completed in 2003, just a few kilometers east of Rhyl Flats. The Round 1 projects were intended to act as testbeds; building the UK's understanding of offshore wind, whilst in total also providing well over 1000 MW of green generating capacity for the UK. All of the Round 1 offshore wind farms were limited to a maximum area of 10 km², and no more than 30 wind turbines.
Output
The first electricity was supplied by the site on 15 July 2009. The project consists of 25 Siemens Wind Power SWT-107-3.6 wind turbineWind 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...
s, each rated at 3.6 MW capacity. This gives the project a maximum output of 90 MW; a third greater than the neighbouring North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, but with 5 fewer wind turbines and spread over a smaller area. At the time of installation, Rhyl Flats is expected to generate enough electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
to power 60,000 homes on average.
See also
- Wind power in the United KingdomWind power in the United KingdomBy mid-2011, the installed capacity of wind power in the United Kingdom was over 5.7 gigawatts and the UK is ranked as the world’s eighth largest producer of wind power. Wind power is expected to continue growing in the UK for the foreseeable future, RenewableUK estimates that more than...
- List of offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom
- List of offshore wind farms
- List of offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea
- npower UK
External links
- Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm at npower Renewables
- Rhyl Flats map at The Crown Estate
- LORC Knowledge - Datasheet for Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm