First glimpse at site of world's biggest wind farm
Jun 3, 2009
An incredible feat of engineering is under way 12 kilometres off the Thanet coastline, as the world's largest wind farm begins to take shape.
Now we've been given a first glimpse of Thanet Offshore Wind Farm by owners Vattenfall.The huge project will eventually feature 100 wind turbines and provide enough electricity to power some 240,000 homes.
Although the turbine 'towers' and the blades will not be installed until December, a third of the 'monopiles' - the steel foundations which are driven up to 20 metres into the seabed and extend just one metre above the water level - have already been installed. Yellow 'transition pieces' which join the foundations and steel towers together have been fitted to eight monopiles. The remaining 24 sport brightly-coloured navigation aids to prevent ships running into them.
Ole Bigum Nielsen, project director of Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, said: "People have woken up to the fact that wind power is needed to guarantee electricity in a clean, sustainable world.
"But it's no use simply installing one or two turbines; to really make a difference you have to build wind farms on a much larger scale."
The Thanet project should be completed by October 2010 and is one of three wind farms built or proposed locally. Kentish Flats is already producing electricity in the Thames Estuary, while the London Array - a massive scheme planned for the North Thanet coast - is expected to generate power from 2012.
To view a film on the wind farm will look like, click here.
