E.On, Dong Energy and Masdar have announced they will invest EUR2.2bn (USD3bn) in the offshore wind farm, which will be the first capable of producing 1GW of power when complete; enough power for around 750,000 homes and displacing the emission of 1.9m tonnes of CO2 every year.
“Today’s announcement comes after the UK government’s recent proposal to increase its support for offshore wind power,” the three firms said in a joint release. “The partners are satisfied t²hat the project is now financially viable and are now keen to push ahead with construction and to produce the first renewable power in 2012.”
Prime minister Gordon Brown said: “The London Array is a flagship project in our drive to cut emissions by 80% by 2050 and meet future energy needs. The UK is a world leader in offshore wind farms, creating jobs and prosperity for the economy. That’s why we have increased our support for this technology as we move towards a low carbon future.
The team behind London Array said the project could see up to 341 wind turbines installed that will range between 3MW and 7MW in electrical capacity. “The exact size of the turbines is uncertain at this stage, but the hub heights will be between 85m and 100m above sea level, and the total turbine height won’t be greater than 175m,” they said.
Crane hire firms are sure to receive a boost by the news as the construction of offshore, and onshore wind farms, requires a number of lifting solutions, including heavy capacity crawlers and mobiles to lift and load components at the dockside.
Ainscough Crane Hire recently acquired six 500t-plus capacity crawler cranes in order to take advantage of the growing opportunities presented by the development of wind and nuclear energy facilities.
“We think there is somewhat of a hole in the supply side of the market for crawler cranes of this size,” said Ainscough’s managing director Neil Partridge.
“There will be a lot of demand in the energy sector, particularly wind and nuclear, in the coming years.”
