Rhyl Flats

Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm will be Wales' second offshore wind farm and the third offshore wind farm to be built within Liverpool Bay. The Rhyl Flats site is located off the coast of North Wales, approximately 8 km north east of Llandudno. Construction is due to begin during summer 2007, and the project is expected to be fully commissioned by the summer of 2009.

The project is expected to consist of 25 Siemens SWT-107-3.6 wind turbines, each rated at 3.6 MW capacity. This gives the project a maximum output of 90 MW; a third greater than the neighbouring North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, but with 5 fewer wind turbines and spread over a smaller area. At the time of installation, Rhyl Flats is expected to generate enough electricity to power 60,000 homes.

Rhyl Flats was developed as part of the UK's Round 1 offshore wind farm programme. The first of these projects, North Hoyle, was completed in 2003, just a few kilometers east of Rhyl Flats. The Round 1 projects were intended to act as testbeds; building the UK's understanding of offshore wind, whilst in total also providing well over 1000 MW of green generating capacity for the UK. All of the Round 1 offshore wind farms were limited to a maximum area of 10 km², and no more than 30 wind turbines.

Rhyl Flats was developed and consented by Celtic Offshore Wind Limited, but the project was purchased, and is now being built, by npower renewables (formerly National Wind Power). npower renewables also own the neighbouring North Hoyle and Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farms.

ee also

*Wind power in the United Kingdom
*List of Offshore Wind Farms
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Npower_(UK) npower UK]

References

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