Energy secretary opens huge Cumbrian windfarm

ENERGY secretary Ed Davey has officially opened a major offshore wind energy development off the Cumbrian coast.

More than 1,000 people were employed on the construction of the West of Duddon Sands Offshore Windfarm, which is 20km off the Barrow-in-Furness coastline and comprises 108 turbines generating 389 megawatts of power.

The project, developed by ScottishPower Renewables and DONG Energy, came in ahead of schedule.  Now fully operational, the windfarm will generate enough electricity to meet the annual electricity demands of around 280,000 homes.

The electricity generated by the turbines is linked by cable to an onshore substation at Heysham, where the windfarm is connected to the UK national grid. The operations and maintenance base is a new facility in Barrow, which will support up to 40 skilled jobs for at least the next 20 years.

Energy Secretary Edward Davey said: “This wind farm will generate enough clean electricity to power more than a quarter of a million homes and give the local economy a major and sustained boost.

“We want an energy mix that is built on diverse, home grown sources to make sure our supplies are clean and secure.  Wind has a huge role to play, which is why the UK is the best place in the world to invest in offshore wind projects.”

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