Walney
| Project type | Offshore wind farm |
| Current status | Under construction |
| Last website update | June 2010 |
| Location | Near Walney Island, Irish Sea |
| Capacity | 367MW |
| Homes powered | Around 418,000* |
*based on site specific met mast data indicating a load factor of at least 43%, and based on household consumption of 3,300kWh a year.
SSE has acquired a 25.1% stake in the 367MW (megawatt) Walney offshore wind farm which is being built 14km west of the Isle of Walney in the Irish Sea. DONG Energy will retain a 74.9% stake. Walney Offshore Windfarm is located far from the coast, which results in relatively low visual impacts.
Walney will be constructed in two phases, each totalling 183.6MW, with construction of the first phase due to begin in 2010 and of the second phase in the spring of 2011.The wind farm is therefore expected to enter commercial operation in two phases: during the first half of 2011 and towards the end of 2011. DONG Energy will manage the construction of the wind farm with Siemens supplying the wind turbines, the second phase of which will feature a new 120 metre rotor.
The wind farm is expected to have an average load factor of around 43% and produce around 1,300 GWh (gigawatt hours) of electricity in a typical year. Under the UK government’s plans for its Renewables Obligation Scheme, this output will qualify for 2.0 Renewable Obligation Certificates per MWh. SSE and DONG Energy will market the output of the wind farm in proportion to their equity stakes.
Excluding the connection to the Great Britain electricity network, the cost of constructing Walney is expected to total just under £1 billion. The project will initially be funded by DONG Energy while SSE will contribute its 25.1% share of the construction cost of the project (just under £250m) in two stages, when each phase of the wind farm is commissioned. This will be included within SSE’s investment programme for the five years to March 2013, with some other projects previously in the programme being delayed.
DONG Energy will be the leading partner in the construction and operational phases of the development, and has provided SSE with financial guarantees relating to the final capital cost of the project and its timely completion.
The addition of a 25.1% stake in Walney takes SSE’s portfolio of onshore and offshore wind farms in operation, in construction or with consent for development in the UK and Ireland to over 2,100MW (excluding the Arklow development opportunity in the Irish Sea).
DONG Energy has a leading position in offshore wind power, with many years of experience. It has a large portfolio of wind farms in operation and under construction and a significant project pipeline focused on Northern Europe, including the UK.
In December 2009, SSE and DONG Energy announced an agreement to form a 50:50 joint venture to develop three offshore wind farms in the Dutch sector of the North Sea with a total capacity of just over 1,000MW.
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