DONG Energy has reported that the first turbine was installed last week at the company’s Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Farm project in the Thames Estuary off the East coast of England.

It is the first turbine to be installed in the entire Round 2 of constructing offshore wind farms in the UK as laid out by The Crown Estate in 2003.

“This is an important step towards our goal of tripling our production of renewable energy by 2020. We have only come this far because of the splendid cooperation with The Crown Estate, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and other state and local authorities,” said Niels Bergh-Hansen, Executive Vice President at DONG Energy.

The British Energy and Climate Change Minister Mike O’Brien said, “The installation of the first Round 2 offshore wind turbine is an important achievement for DONG Energy and helps to prove that the UK market is living up to its reputation as a global leader in offshore wind power. To continue the momentum for further deployment, we also announced funding to develop the next generation of wind turbines earlier this week. This demonstrates the progress of offshore wind power in the UK despite the current economic climate.

Offshore wind is important to help realize the Government’s ambition to dramatically increase the amount of energy from renewable sources. That’s why, from today, offshore wind will get 50% more support through our renewable obligation. This will ultimately help in the fight against climate change and further secure the UK’s energy supplies.”

Rob Hastings, Director of The Crown Estate’s Marine Estate said, “The Crown Estate welcomes the news of the installation of the first turbine at Gunfleet Sands. We are now seeing real progress on the construction of UK offshore wind farms. The first turbine at Gunfleet Sands is an important milestone as it marks the construction of the first of the fifteen Round 2 sites awarded by The Crown Estate in December 2003. Round 2 has the potential to contribute 7.2GW of clean electricity to the UK’s energy mix and follows on from the 1.5GW allocated as part of Round 1.

Tags: DONG Energy