North Hoyle offshore wind farm: design and build

Abstract

North Hoyle is the UK's first major offshore wind farm. It comprises 30 wind turbine generators each capable of generating up to 2MW. The total installed capacity is therefore 60MW and enough electricity is generated each year for some 40 000 homes. The wind farm offsets an annual release of about 160 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Initial site investigations began in the summer of 1999 and by April 2001 a Development Licence was awarded by Crown Estate and the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI). Public consultation commenced in July 2001 and the Consent Application was submitted in February 2002. All the required consents were granted by October 2002. Following a competitive bidding process, a design and build contract was awarded to the North Hoyle Consortium (comprising Vestas Celtic Wind Turbines and Mayflower Energy) in the autumn of 2002. Onshore construction commenced in November 2002 with offshore construction commencing in April 2003. First offcial generation from the site was in mid November 2003 and the wind farm was fully operational in April 2004. Total project costs were around £80 million.