Barrow

Location and Overview

The Barrow Offshore Wind Farm is located in the East Irish Sea, approximately 7 kilometres southwest of Walney Island, near Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.

Capacity and Turbines

The wind farm consists of 30 Vestas V90-3.0 MW wind turbines, each with a 3 MW nameplate capacity, totaling a generating capacity of 90 MW. These turbines are mounted on 75-meter tall towers, with blades adding an additional 45 meters when vertical, and each turbine weighs 251 tonnes.

Construction and Development

Construction of the wind farm began in July 2005 and was completed in June 2006. The project was developed by a consortium that initially included Warwick Energy Limited, which submitted the planning application in 2001 and received planning consent in March 2003. The project was later sold to Centrica (25%), Ørsted A/S (then DONG Energy, 37.5%), and Statkraft (37.5%) in September 2003. In 2004, Centrica and Ørsted bought out Statkraft's stake, forming a 50:50 joint venture. The estimated cost of the project was £100 million, with £10 million provided by a UK government grant.

Contractors and Technology

The construction and installation contract was awarded to Kellogg Brown & Root Ltd and Vestas-Celtic Wind Technology Ltd. The turbines were supplied by Vestas Wind Systems, and the monopile foundations were provided by a Sif/Smulders joint venture. The offshore substation was supplied by Areva T&D, and the cables were supplied by Prysmian (33 kV) and Nexans (132 kV).

Operation

The wind farm began generating power in March 2006, with the first row of turbines coming online. Full commercial operation was achieved in June 2006. The farm operates at a capacity factor of between 30 and 40%, generating between 240 and 320 GWh of electrical energy per year. The levelised cost of the energy generated has been estimated at £87/MWh.

Ownership

Initially, the wind farm was a 50:50 joint venture between Centrica and Ørsted A/S. However, in 2014, Ørsted acquired Centrica's 50% stake, giving Ørsted full ownership of the Barrow Offshore Wind Farm.

Transmission and Grid Connection

The power generated is transmitted to the mainland via a 25 km long 132 kV cable, making landfall near Heysham and connecting to the national grid at an existing electricity substation south of Heysham nuclear power station. The transmission assets were initially owned by Barrow Offshore Wind Limited but were sold to TC Barrow OFTO Ltd in 2011 due to regulatory changes.

Environmental Impact

The Barrow Offshore Wind Farm generates enough clean energy to power approximately 80,000 households and offsets around 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Current Status

The wind farm is currently active and has been in commercial operation since June 2006. The power generated from the project is sold to Ovo Energy under a power purchase agreement from 2021.