Masdar signs deals for London Array

Masdar is masterminding the London Array, an offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary.

By Gavin Davids

Masdar announced on Wednesday that it had, in partnership with Dong Energy and E.ON, signed six major supply and installation contracts for the world’s first one gigawatt offshore wind farm.

In a statement, the consortium said that offshore work on the project, known as the London Array, was to start early in 2011, with phase one of construction slated to be finished by the end of 2012.

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said: “The completion of these contracts marks a major step towards making the project a reality."

The contracts signed totalled almost two billion euros (AED12bn), and have been agreed with seven European suppliers. They will be responsible for providing the components and expertise needed to construct the first 630 megawatt phase of the project.

He added: "The London Array is a landmark project, not only for the UK energy sector, but also for the global renewable energy industry."

Once completed, the wind farm will be one of the world’s largest, and will supply enough power for approximately 750,000 homes in Greater London and is expected to displace the emission of 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Sited in the Thames Estuary, 20km from the Kent and Essex coast, the project will eventually consist of 271 turbines installed on a 90 square mile site.

It will be built in two stages, with phase one to have 175 turbines. The second stage will add enough capacity to bring the total power outlay to 1,000 MW.

The London Array project is not the first renewable energy project that the Abu Dhabi-owned Masdar has been involved in. Over the last few years, Masdar, with the backing of the Abu Dhabi government, has invested $15bn in ambitious ventures such as the world’s first carbon free city in Abu Dhabi.

Source: arabianbusiness.com
 

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