Construction on a 180-megawatt (MW) UK offshore wind farm development for the Lynn and Inner Dowsing sites in the Greater Wash is under way, marked by Centrica’s investment for 54 3.6-megawatt (MW) wind turbines from Siemens Power Generation.
"This investment underlines our commitment to supplying British Gas customers with an increasing proportion of renewable electricity in the years ahead."
— Sam Laidlaw, Centrica, Chief Executive
The development is expected to cost approximately GBP 300 million [US$578 million] in total.
Construction work is scheduled to commence in spring 2007 for the offshore site, three miles off the coast; onshore work is under way to connect the power generation cable in Lincolnshire. The project, which will supply clean electricity to around 130,000 homes, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2008.
Centrica, which has a large portfolio of undeveloped offshore wind sites, is a 50 percent partner in Barrow Offshore Wind, the UK’s equal largest offshore wind farm. In January it applied for planning consent to develop the 250 MW Lincolnshire project, also in the Greater Wash.
Centrica also announced it will become a 50 percent partner in the onshore Braes of Doune wind farm located in central Scotland, which recently generated its first power, bringing the UK’s total installed wind capacity above 2000 MW. Braes of Doune is in its commissioning phase, with completion expected during spring 2007.
Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive of Centrica, said, "This investment underlines our commitment to supplying British Gas customers with an increasing proportion of renewable electricity in the years ahead."