The world’s largest operational wind farm opened on 23 September 2010. The wind farm is located in the Thames Estuary off Foreness Point, the easternmost point of the English county of Kent. Operated by the energy company Vattenfall, the Thanet Wind Farm is expected to increase the UK’s current offshore wind capacity by almost a third.
The Thanet Wind Farm
TheThanet Wind Farm will include 100 115 metre tall wind turbines which will have a total capacity of 300 MW and, according to Vattenfall, will be capable of supplying renewable energy to power the equivalent of more than 200,000 homes. As with all wind farms, this is an average figure: wind farms don’t produce electricity at a constant rate.
Vattenfall claims that the wind farm will generate substantial economic benefits, as well as producing green energy. The total cost of the development is given at around £780m and the company reports that ‘a proportion’ of the cost was spent locally, although that proportion is not specified. The onshore maintenance facility will create 21 jobs locally.
