Arklow Bank Phase 1

Location

The Arklow Bank Wind Park Phase 1 is located on the Arklow Bank, a shallow water sandbank in the Irish Sea, approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) off the coast of Arklow, County Wicklow, Ireland.

Developers and Operators

The project was co-developed by Airtricity and GE Wind Energy. Currently, Phase 1 is owned and operated by GE Energy under a sublease to the foreshore lease.

Capacity and Turbines

• The wind farm consists of seven GE 3.6-megawatt (MW) wind turbines, each with a nameplate capacity of 3.6 MW, totaling a nominal power output of 25.2 MW.
• The turbines are GE Energy 3.6sl models, with a hub height of 73.5 meters (241 feet) and a height to the top of the blade of 124 meters (407 feet). Each turbine has three blades, with a blade length of 50.5 meters (166 feet), and weighs approximately 290 tonnes.

Infrastructure

• The turbines are mounted on steel monopole foundations driven into the seabed using a hydraulic hammer. Each turbine has a landing platform for boat access and is spaced 600 meters (2,000 feet) apart.
• The power generated is fed to the ESB Networks distribution grid through the Arklow National Grid Substation.

Construction and Commissioning

• The construction of Phase 1 began in 2003, and the project was commissioned in June 2004. The turbines were installed by the Danish offshore wind farm services provider A2SEA, and the power cables were laid by Five Oceans Services (now SIEM Offshore Contractors). The construction was based out of Rosslare port.

Historical Significance

• Arklow Bank Wind Park Phase 1 is the first offshore wind farm in Ireland and was also the world's first erection of wind turbines rated over 3 MW at the time of its installation.

Maintenance and Operations

• GE Renewable Energy is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the wind farm.

Recent Incidents

• In October 2022, one of the turbines was damaged by a lightning strike and subsequent fire.