West of Duddon Sands

West of Duddon Sands Offshore Wind Farm Profile

Location

The West of Duddon Sands Offshore Wind Farm is located in the East Irish Sea, approximately 14 kilometres southwest of Walney Island, off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England.

Ownership and Development

The project is a joint venture between ScottishPower Renewables and Ørsted (formerly DONG Energy), with each partner holding a 50% stake. The original project was awarded in December 2003 as part of the Round 2 development programme to Morecambe Wind Ltd, a partnership between Scottish Power, Elsam, and Eurus Energy. Elsam was later acquired by DONG Energy.

Capacity and Turbines

The wind farm consists of 108 Siemens Wind Power SWT-3.6-120 turbines, each with a capacity of 3.6 megawatts (MW). The total installed capacity of the wind farm is 389 MW.

Design and Construction

• Turbine Specifications: Each turbine has a rotor diameter of 120 metres and a hub height of 90 metres. They are supported by monopile foundations with diameters ranging from 5 to 6 metres, installed in water depths between 17 and 24 metres.
• Construction Vessels: The construction involved the use of specialized vessels such as the Pacific Orca and Seahorse. Pacific Orca, a heavy lift jack-up vessel, was used to install the monopile foundations, while Seahorse, a Boskalis fallpipe vessel, placed a scour-protection filter layer at the seabed.
• Onshore and Offshore Infrastructure: The project included the installation of foundations, wind turbines, export and array cables, and an offshore substation. Onshore works involved the construction of an onshore substation in Heysham, Lancashire, and new operation and maintenance (O&M) facilities in Barrow-in-Furness.

Power Transmission

• Substation and Cables: The power generated is transmitted through a 33kV submarine cable grid to the 150kV/34kV offshore substation. From there, two 150kV submarine export cables connect to the onshore substation in Heysham, which steps up the transmission voltage to 400kV for integration into the UK national grid.

Environmental and Social Impact

• Energy Production: The wind farm produces enough clean energy to power more than 300,000 to 340,000 UK households, significantly contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions, estimated at around 440,000 tonnes per year.
• Geological Considerations: The original application was for between 83 and 139 turbines with a capacity of 500 MW, but permission was granted for only 108 turbines due to geological siting issues.

Timeline

• Planning and Consent: The application for the wind farm was filed in April 2006, and consent was granted on 23 September 2008.
• Construction: Onshore construction works began in early 2012, while major offshore construction works started in 2013. The first turbine was installed in September 2013, and the wind farm began generating electricity in January 2014. The final turbine was installed in June 2014, and the wind farm was officially inaugurated on 30 October 2014.

Investment and Costs

• Total Investment: The project involved an investment of approximately £1.6 billion (or €2 billion).
• Cost per Turbine: Each of the 108 Siemens turbines cost around €6.5 million, or €1.8 million per MW.

Operational Status

The West of Duddon Sands Offshore Wind Farm is currently active and has been in commercial operation since October 2014. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is the O&M contractor for the project.

Additional Information

• Area Coverage: The wind farm covers an area of approximately 66 to 67 square kilometres.
• Proximity to Other Wind Farms: It is situated near other operational wind farms, including Barrow, Walney, and Ormonde wind farms.