Dong commits to Irish Sea wind farm expansion

Dong Energy has confirmed that it is to build the 660MW Walney extension offshore wind farm off the Cumbrian coast.

The final investment decision has been made after securing all necessary consents from authorities, completing site assessments and having signed the majority of the contracts for supply and installation to build the project.

The development will triple the size of the current wind farm, already one of the biggest in the world.

The Walney extension was granted consent by the Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change in November 2014. It will be located approximately 19 km WSW off the Walney Island coast in Cumbria and could generate enough electricity to power around 460,000 homes.

Construction will last for four years, between 2016 and 2019.