LONDON, March 8th, 2011 – DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar today (8th March) announced that the first of 177 foundations has been installed at the London Array Offshore Wind Farm, in the Thames Estuary.
The monopile, weighing 268 tonnes - the equivalent of around 35 double decker buses - was supplied and installed by joint venture company Per Arsleff Bilfinger Berger Ingeniurbeu GmBH using A2SEA’s jack-up barge, Seaworker. The transition piece was then lifted into place, completing the project’s first full foundation installation.
Anders Eldrup, CEO of DONG Energy, said: “This is a significant milestone for London Array, off the shore and into the water. Soon we’ll be seeing the turbines going up and the wind farm starting to generate low carbon electricity. DONG Energy is proud to be the major shareholder, investing in the UK’s biggest offshore wind farm.”
Dr Frank Mastiaux, Chief Executive of E.ON Climate & Renewables, said: “Installing the first foundation on schedule marks another major milestone in the construction of the world’s largest offshore wind farm. It’s a great moment for the team now that all the detailed and diligent planning and preparation over years can finally be seen out in the water.”
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said: "The installation of the first foundation is demonstrative of the commitment and collective desire to make London Array a reality, and is a strong testament to the industry-leading resources and experience exemplified by this strategic partnership. Masdar is proud to be at the heart of this ambitious effort which will not only catalyze the wiread scale-up of offshore wind power, but also act as an important contributor to the economic vision of Abu Dhabi and the governments and companies with whom we are collaborating.”
Each foundation consists of a tubular steel monopile, driven 20 to 50 metres into the seabed, and a large yellow transition piece, which is fixed over the top of the monopile to provide the base for the wind turbine. The monopiles are between 33 and 65 metres long and weigh between 200 to 650 tonnes, while the transition pieces are between 20 to 28 metres high and weigh between 245 to 345 tonnes.
The piles were lifted off the deck of the vessel using a 60 metre crane and driven into the seabed with a 225 tonne anvil and hydraulic ram.
In the summer, the Seaworker will have been joined by the MPI Adventure, a new self-propelled jack-up vessel. Over the next nine months both vessels will continue to install the remaining 176 foundations in preparation for the installation of the two offshore substations in the summer and the start of installation of the 175 wind turbines towards the end of the year.
The monopiles and transition pieces were brought to the site from Germany and Denmark on ABJV’s transportation barges.
The foundations will now begin to arrive and be installed in a pre-determined pattern, each one having been designed and built specifically for its installation location.
London Array is being 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 will cover 90km2 and include 175 turbines with a combined capacity of 630MW. The consortium plans to complete the first phase by the end of 2012. If approved, the second phase will add enough capacity to bring the total to 1,000MW.
The project consortium partners have the following shareholdings: DONG Energy owns 50%, E.ON has 30% and Masdar has a 20% stake.
London Array animation:
A broadcast quality animation of the London Array scheme is available for download by registering at the Video Gallery section of www.eon-uk.com
DONG Energy is 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 €82 billion and around 88,000 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 4 billion Euros in renewable generation and climate protection projects from 2010 to 2013 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, and Biomass . E.ON currently has over 3.6GW 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 fully built, power a million homesE.ON owns and operates the UK’s first offshore wind farm, off the coast of Blyth, the 180MW Robin Rigg offshore wind farm in the Solway Firth and the 60 MW Scroby Sands offshore wind farm off the coast of Norfolk.. Renewable energy projects in other countries include Rødsand II, a 207MW offshore wind farm of the Danish coast and, with partners, the 60MW Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm off the north coast of Germany. This is the first deep water far shore scheme of its kind. www.eon.com
Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted initiative advancing the development, commercialisation and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today’s fossil fuel economy and the energy economy of the future - developing the “greenprint” for how we will live and work tomorrow. Backed by the stability and reputation of the Mubadala Development Company, an investment vehicle of the government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is dedicated to the emirate’s long-term vision for the future of energy.
Masdar entered into the London Array scheme when it purchased 40% of E.ON’s half share of the London Array scheme, giving Masdar a 20% stake in the project overall. The London Array investment is part of Masdar’s global alternative energy strategy which includes solar, wind and other renewable technologies. Masdar, which works with a range of innovative renewable energy companies and utilities, is continuously growing its portfolio of investments, partnerships and production capabilities in the renewable energy and clean technology sectors.
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