East Anglia Array

Last updated

East Anglia Array
East Anglia One windfarm construction.jpg
East Anglia ONE wind farm during construction
East Anglia Array
Country England, United Kingdom
Location North Sea
Coordinates 52°54′28″N2°37′43″E / 52.90778°N 2.62861°E / 52.90778; 2.62861
StatusOperational
Construction beganJune 2018 (2018-06) [1]
Commission date July 2020 (2020-07) [2]
Construction cost£ 2.5 billion
Owners
Wind farm
Type Offshore
Max. water depth53 m (174 ft) [3]
Distance from shore45.4 km (28.2 mi) (minimum)
Hub height120 m
Rotor diameter170 m
Site area300 km2 (116 sq mi)
Power generation
Units operational102
Units planned300
Nameplate capacity 714 MW (2100 MW planned)
External links
Website scottishpowerrenewables.com
East Anglia Array
Wind farm layout

The East Anglia Array is a proposed series of offshore wind farms located around 30 miles off the east coast of East Anglia, in the North Sea, England. It has begun with the currently operational East Anglia ONE, that has been developed in partnership by ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall. [4] Up to six individual projects could be set up in the area with a maximum capacity of up to 7.2 GW. The first project, East Anglia ONE at 714 MW, received planning consent in June 2014 and contracts in April 2016. Offshore construction began in 2018 and the project was commissioned in July 2020. [1] [2] It is expected to cost £2.5 billion. [5]

Contents

Planning

The East Anglia Zone is in the North Sea off the east coast of East Anglia. It is one of nine offshore zones belonging to the Crown Estate which formed part of the third licence round for UK offshore wind farms. At the closest point the zone is 14 km from shore. [6] East Anglia Offshore Wind (EAOW) is a partnership between ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall. In December 2009, EAOW was announced as the developer for the East Anglia Zone. [7]

The target capacity for the entire East Anglia Zone is 7200 MW which could require up to 1200 turbines. [6] Up to six individual projects could be set up in the area. [8] The first project is the East Anglia ONE windfarm, [6] which was commissioned in July 2020. EAOW has planning permission granted for East Anglia THREE, and has announced plans for further projects named East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North. [6] If consents are received, all three new arrays will be built as a hub, combining to provide a rated capacity of 3.1GW of electricity from 263 wind turbines. [9] Funding has been agreed to improve local activities, courtesy of the Sizewell C and East Anglia Array projects. [10] Local opposition groups approve of the offshore wind turbines, but request a different location for the onshore facilities. [11]

East Anglia ONE

East Anglia ONE is located in the southern area of the East Anglia Zone, and is approximately 43 km (27 miles) from the shore. [12] The initial proposal was for an installed capacity of 1200 MW. [12] Cabling for East Anglia ONE lands near the River Deben at Bawdsey, runs north of Ipswich and is connected to the National Grid at Bramford. [13]

A plan was formally submitted to the government in December 2012, [14] and planning consent was granted in June 2014. [15] In October 2014 ScottishPower announced that it intended to scale down East Anglia ONE because of insufficient subsidies. [16] In February 2015 it was announced that ScottishPower would proceed with a scaled-down 714 MW project. [17]

A contract for £119/MWh was published on 27 April 2016, using 102 Siemens Wind Power direct-drive 7 MW turbines. Nacelles were built in Cuxhaven, while blades were made in Hull. [18] [19] Due to water depths between 30-40 m, the turbines use jacketed foundations. Cabling is at 66 kV as opposed to the traditional 33 kV. Two export cables at 220 kV AC send the power to shore. [20] A support vessel is powered by used vegetable oil. [21]

Construction

East Anglia ONE windfarm construction, October 2019 East Anglia ONE windfarm construction 2.jpg
East Anglia ONE windfarm construction, October 2019
Offshore substation located amongst the turbines EA ONE substation.jpg
Offshore substation located amongst the turbines

Onshore construction began in 2017, [22] with offshore construction starting in 2018. The first foundation was completed in June 2018 and the first turbine was completed in June 2019. The windfarm's offshore substation was installed in August 2018. [23]

First power was generated in September 2019, [24] turbine installation was completed in April 2020, [25] and commercial operation began in July 2020. [2]

East Anglia TWO

The East Anglia TWO wind farm will be located be 37.5 kilometres (23.3 mi) off-shore from Lowestoft and would have a generating capacity of 900MW from 75 turbines. The project was granted a Development Consent Order in March 2022 and is planned to be ready by 2030. [26] In October 2024, £4bn was committed to the project. [27]

East Anglia THREE

The proposed East Anglia THREE wind farm is located in the northern half of the East Anglia Zone, [28] and is approximately 69 km (42 miles) from the shore. [8] It is expected to provide an installed capacity of 1200 MW [28] from up to 172 turbines. [8] The project was consented in 2017, and onshore construction commenced in July 2022 [29]

East Anglia ONE North

The proposed East Anglia ONE North wind farm will be located approximately 37.7 kilometres (23.4 mi) from Lowestoft, and would have a generating capacity of up to 800MW. The project was granted a Development Consent Order in March 2022 and is planned to be ready by 2030. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind farm</span> Group of wind turbines

A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an extensive area. Wind farms can be either onshore or offshore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iberdrola</span> Spanish multinational electric utility company

Iberdrola, S.A. is a Spanish multinational electric utility company based in Bilbao, Spain. It has around 40,000 employees and serves around 30 million customers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in the United Kingdom</span>

The United Kingdom is the best location for wind power in Europe and one of the best in the world. The combination of long coastline, shallow water and strong winds make offshore wind unusually effective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in India</span>

Wind power generation capacity in India has significantly increased in recent years. As of 31 March 2024, the total installed wind power capacity was 45.887 gigawatts (GW). India has the fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. Wind power capacity is mainly spread across the southern, western, and northwestern states. The onshore wind power potential of India was assessed at 132 GW with minimum 32% CUF at 120 m above the local ground level (agl). Whereas, the estimated potential at minimum 25% CUF is 695 GW at 120 agl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Scotland</span> Renewable energy technology in Scotland

Wind power is the fastest-growing renewable energy technology in Scotland, with 11,482 megawatts (MW) of installed wind power capacity by Q1 2023. This included 9,316 MW from onshore wind in Scotland and 2,166 MW of offshore wind generators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwynt y Môr</span> Offshore wind farm off of Wales

Gwynt y Môr is a 576-megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm located off the coast of north Wales and is the fifth largest operating offshore windfarm in the world. The farm has 160 wind turbines of 150 metres (490 ft) tip height above mean sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitelee Wind Farm</span> Wind farm in East Ayrshire, Scotland

Whitelee Wind Farm is a windfarm on the Eaglesham moor in Scotland. The main visitor centre is located in East Renfrewshire, but the majority of turbines are located in East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. It is the largest on-shore wind farm in the United Kingdom with 215 Siemens and Alstom wind turbines and a total capacity of 539 megawatts (MW), with the average of 2.5 MW per turbine. Whitelee was developed and is operated by ScottishPower Renewables, which is part of the Spanish company Iberdrola.

Neart Na Gaoithe is an offshore wind farm under construction in the outer Firth of Forth, 15.5 kilometres (9.6 mi) east of Fife Ness. It has a potential capacity of 450 MW. It is being developed by EDF Renewables and ESB. Offshore work began in 2020, with completion originally planned for 2023 but delayed due to supply chain challenges, the Covid pandemic and "construction woes" until summer 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Belgium</span>

Wind power in Belgium has seen significant advancements, starting with the generation of electricity from offshore wind farms in 2009. By 2020, the capacity of these offshore farms reached 2,262 megawatts (MW), matching the combined output of Belgium's largest nuclear reactors, Doel 4 and Tihange 3. Concurrently, the development of on-shore wind energy, which remained minimal until 2004, experienced significant growth, with installed capacity and production doubling annually from 96 MW in 2004 to 2,476.1 MW by 2021. The percentage of electricity demand met by wind grew to about 14.4% by 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in the Netherlands</span>

As of May 2024, wind power in the Netherlands has an installed capacity of 11,611 MW, 40.9% of which is based offshore. In 2022, the wind turbines provided the country with 18.37% of its electricity demand during the year. Windmills have historically played a major part in the Netherlands by providing an alternative to water driven mills.

Triton Knoll Wind Farm is an 857 MW round 2 offshore wind farm 33 kilometres (21 mi) off the coast of Lincolnshire, in the North Sea, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West of Duddon Sands Wind Farm</span>

West of Duddon Sands Wind Farm (WoDS), occasionally also known as West Duddon Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south west of Walney Island off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, in the Irish Sea, England. It was developed by Scottish Power and Ørsted A/S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walney Wind Farm</span> Offshore wind farm off the coast of Cumbria, England

Walney Wind Farms are a group of offshore wind farms 9 miles (14 km) west of Walney Island off the coast of Cumbria, England, in the Irish Sea. The group, operated by Ørsted, consists of Walney Phase 1, Phase 2 and the Walney Extension. The extension has a capacity of 659 MW and it was the world's second largest offshore wind farm in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside Wind Farm</span> British offshore wind farm

Teesside Wind Farm, or alternatively referred to as Redcar Wind Farm, is a 27 turbine 62 MW capacity offshore wind farm constructed just to the east of the mouth of the River Tees and 1.5 km north of Redcar off the North Yorkshire coast, in the North Sea, England.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a group of offshore wind farms under construction 130 to 200 kilometres off the east coast of Yorkshire, England in the North Sea. It is considered to be the world's largest offshore windfarm. It was developed by the Forewind consortium, with three phases envisioned - first phase, second phase and third phase. In 2015, the third phase was abandoned, while the first and second phases were granted consent. It was initially expected that the Dogger Bank development will consist of four offshore wind farms, each with a capacity of up to 1.2 GW, creating a combined capacity of 4.8 GW. As of 2024, a total of 8.1 GW generating capacity is expected to be installed on Dogger Bank.

Hornsea Wind Farm is a Round 3 wind farm which began construction in 2018. Sited in the North Sea 120 km (75 mi) off the east coast of England, the eventual wind farm group is planned to have a total capacity of up to 6 gigawatt (GW).

Kilgallioch Wind Farm is a 96 turbine wind farm in South Ayrshire, Scotland with a total capacity of up to 239 megawatts (MW). Consent granted by the Scottish Government in February 2013 with construction starting in 2015 and completed in 2017. The wind farm contains 70 km of internal tracks, and a surface area of roughly 32 km2.

The United Kingdom became the world leader of offshore wind power generation in October 2008 when it overtook Denmark.

References

  1. 1 2 Joshua S Hill. "714 Megawatt East Anglia ONE Offshore Wind Farm Completes Construction Of First Jacket Foundations". cleantechnica.com. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Adrijana Buljan (3 July 2020). "East Anglia One Now Officially Fully Operational". offshoreWIND.biz. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  3. Examining Authority’s findings and conclusions and recommendation in respect of the proposed East Anglia One Offshore Wind Farm and connection works (PDF) (Planning recommendation EN010025). The Planning Inspectorate. 18 March 2014.
  4. "EAST ANGLIA ONE". scottishpowerrenewables.com. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  5. "Europe's largest contract for offshore wind turbines". ScottishPower Renewables. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "FAQs". East Anglia Offshore Wind. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  7. "About Us". East Anglia Offshore Wind. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "East Anglia Three wind farm plans go on display". BBC News. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  9. "The East Anglia Hub". Scottish Power Renewables. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  10. "Energy Projects Update" (PDF). East Suffolk District.
  11. Sanderson, Cosmo (9 January 2024). "Hollywood A-lister Ralph Fiennes' new star role in film battling green power 'steel and concrete'". Recharge | Latest renewable energy news.
  12. 1 2 "FAQs". East Anglia ONE. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  13. "East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm". 4C offshore. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  14. "East Anglia One wind farm plan for Suffolk coast submitted". BBC News. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  15. "East Anglia One wind farm approved off Suffolk coast". BBC News. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  16. "Scottish Power scales back big East Anglia wind farm". Financial Times. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  17. "East Anglia One offshore wind farm plan reduced in size". BBC News. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  18. "East Anglia ONE's Price of £119/MWh Confirmed". Offshore Wind. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  19. admin (27 April 2016). "Siemens Awarded 714 MW Contract For East Anglia ONE Offshore Wind Farm". Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  20. "East Anglia ONE". 4C. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  21. "Vegetable oil powers SPR at East Anglia 1". reNEWS - Renewable Energy News. 25 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021.
  22. "Onshore cabling work to start as East Anglia One windfarm project takes further step forward". 28 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  23. "East Anglia ONE Offshore Substation Installed". ScottishPower Renewables. Retrieved 21 October 2019. "East Anglia ONE Offshore Substation Installed". ScottishPower Renewables. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  24. "East Anglia ONE Generates First Power". www.offshorewind.biz. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  25. "TURBINE INSTALLATION COMPLETE ON EAST ANGLIA ONE OFFSHORE WINDFARM". www.scottishpowerrenewables.com. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  26. "East Anglia TWO". www.scottishpowerrenewables.com. 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  27. "Tidalwave of clean energy investment worth billions unlocked ahead of Investment Summit". GOV.UK. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  28. 1 2 "Welcome". East Anglia THREE. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  29. "East Anglia THREE". www.scottishpowerrenewables.com. 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  30. "East Anglia ONE NORTH". www.scottishpowerrenewables.com. 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022.