DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar opened the world’s largest offshore wind farm London Array

• Prime Minister David Cameron inaugurates world’s largest offshore wind farm
• 630MW London Array powering half a million UK homes

11-7-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar today, (4 July 2013) officially opened the world’s largest offshore wind farm, London Array, at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister David Cameron, alongside other dignitaries. Over 350 people attended the inauguration at Turner Contemporary in Margate, Kent.

London Array, the 630MW offshore wind farm located in the Outer Thames Estuary, first started generating power in October 2012. The 175th turbine was bought online in March 2013 and London Array is now celebrating the completion and full operation of the site, which could supply around 500,000 UK homes with electricity each year.

Construction began in July 2009 when work started to build a new onshore substation on the north Kent coast to flow the energy generated by London Array straight into the national grid. Offshore the first foundation was installed in March 2011; the 175th and final Siemens 3.6MW turbine was installed on time in December 2012. Over 75 organisations have helped to build London Array with over 6,700 individuals involved.

Speaking at the launch event, Prime Minister, David Cameron said: “This is a great day for Kent and a great day for Britain. London Array has been built by some of the bravest seamen, the most talented engineers and hardest workers. It will bring benefits to Kent for years to come.”

Brent Cheshire, UK Country Chairman, DONG Energy said: “With the addition of London Array, DONG Energy has now installed enough offshore wind in the UK to power 1 million homes. This project is also a real milestone on the path to cutting the cost of offshore wind. As projects get even bigger and move further offshore, we must continue to harvest the advantages of scale to bring down the costs.”

Tony Cocker, Chief Executive Officer of E.ON UK, commented: “London Array is a major landmark for global renewable investment and I’d like to thank all those involved in making it a reality. We firmly believe that electricity from renewable sources has a vital part to play in helping us deliver energy in a way that is sustainable, affordable and secure. That’s why, as we learn and improve from each wind farm that we build, we’re aiming to reduce the cost of offshore wind by 40% by 2015.”

Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said: “This inauguration is a historic milestone for the United Kingdom and the development of renewable energy. Projects like London Array demonstrate the economic opportunity of large-scale renewable energy projects – from the direct investment they attract to the industries they strengthen.

“London Array also exemplifies what can be achieved through smart policies and strong partnerships,” added Dr. Al Jaber. “Masdar is a committed partner in addressing the world’s growing need for clean energy. We look forward to extending our portfolio and finding ways to integrate renewable energy that delivers a lasting impact.”

London Array is located around 20km off the coasts of Kent and Essex on a 100km2site. Its175 Siemens 3.6MW turbines have a combined capacity of 630MW and are expected to produce enough electricity to power over half a million UK homes each year.

The project consortium partners have the following shareholdings: DONG Energy owns 50%, E.ON has 30% and Masdar has a 20% stake.

Ends
Notes to editors:
For footage and photos of London Array go to londonarray.com/media-centre.

DONG Energy is one of the leading offshore wind farm developers in the world, with more than 20 years’ experience in the wind power industry. The UK is one of DONG Energy’s primary markets for developing offshore wind and so far we have invested £3 billion in UK renewables since 2005. The London Array is the latest of five offshore wind farms to be commissioned by DONG Energy in the UK and we have Lincs and West of Duddon Sands under construction with partners and Westermost Rough. We also have a demonstration project at Gunfleet Sands of two Siemen’s 6 megaWatt turbines as part of our strategy to reduce the cost of offshore wind and reach our target of 100 euros per megawatt hour for projects sanctioned in 2020..

DONG Energy’s business is based on procuring, producing, distributing and trading in energy and related products in Northern Europe. DONG Energy has nearly 7,000 employees and is headquartered in Denmark. The Group generated DKK 67 billion (EUR 9.0 billion) in revenue in 2012. For further information, see www.dongenergy.com.

E.ON is one of the world’s leading power and gas companies. With annual sales of more than €82 billion and around 79,000 employees, it is one of the world’s largest investor-owned power and gas companies. E.ON is active in onshore and offshore wind, concentrating solar power (CSP), solar PV and biomass and currently has over 4.2GW of renewable capacity in operation, which makes it a
leading global renewable player.

E.ON is committed to being a leading player in the offshore wind industry and it already owns and operates three offshore wind farms in UK waters. The UK’s first offshore wind farm near Blyth in Northumberland, Scroby Sands off the coast of Great Yarmouth and Robin Rigg in the Solway Firth.E.ON is currently carrying out detailed environmental studies on its proposed Rampion site off
the Sussex Coast and has been granted planning approval to build the Humber Gateway offshore wind farm, which would be located off the Holderness Coast in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

E.ON is committed to growing its offshore wind fleet across Europe and it intends to invest €7 billion in its offshore programme over the next five years, through creating industrial-scale wind, solar and biomass power plants. www.eon.com

Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company advancing the development, commercialisation and deployment of clean energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today’s fossil fuel economy and the energy economy of the future. Backed by the Mubadala Development Company, the strategic investment company of the government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar
is dedicated to the Emirate’s long-term vision for the future of energy.

Masdar entered into the London Array scheme when it purchased 40% of E.ON’s half share of the London Array scheme, giving Masdar a 20% stake in the project overall. The London Array investment is part of Masdar’s global alternative energy strategy which includes solar, wind and other renewable technologies. Masdar, which works with a range of innovative renewable energy
companies and utilities, is continuously growing its portfolio of investments, partnerships and production capabilities in the renewable energy and clean technology sectors.

For more information about Masdar, please visit www.masdar.ae.

Press Contacts:
London Array:
Joanne Haddon
Joanne.Haddon@londonarray.com
T. +44 (0)7738 604337

DONG Energy:
Helen McBain
hemac@dongenergy.co.uk
T. +44 20 7 8115419

E.ON:
Janet Heald
janet.heald@eon-uk.com
T. +44 2476 183 692

Masdar:
Sami Salemah
ssalameh@apcoworldwide.
comT. +971 2 491 7226