The 400MW Rampion offshore wind farm has generated first power after the first MHI Vestas 3.45MW turbine was brought online earlier this week, E.ON, the owner and developer of the wind farm, said.
Work began offshore in autumn 2015 to prepare the seabed for the turbine foundations, the first of which was installed in early 2016, with all 116 completed by November 2016.
Turbine installation began in March 2017 and was completed ahead of schedule in just over six months in September, E.ON said.
“Over the coming weeks and months the turbines will one-by-one begin to be turned on and generate power as they are brought online. This process will take us into 2018 to complete,” Matthew Swanwick , Project Director for the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, said.
Earlier this month the project announced a GBP 4 million Community Fund with the largest element, the GBP 3.1 million Rampion Fund, earmarked for community projects.
The Rampion project being built 13km off the Sussex coast by E.ON, UK Green Investment Rampion Ltd and Canadian energy infrastructure company Enbridge, will, when complete provide enough electricity to supply almost 347,000 homes a year, equivalent to around half the homes in Sussex.
The 116-turbine project is due to be completed and fully operational in 2018.