By Renewable Energy Focus staff

Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm, in which SSE owns a 50% stake, is being developed with RWE npower renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy. The 500 MW offshore wind farm is located approximately 23 km off the Suffolk coast, in the North Sea. The first three offshore wind turbines have now been energised and have exported electricity to the national grid.

Paul Coffey, Chief Operating Officer at RWE Innogy, says: “Constructing a wind farm of this size is a complex task but once fully operational, Greater Gabbard will be the world's largest offshore wind farm […].”

Walney offshore wind farm, in which SSE owns a 25.1% stake, is being developed with DONG Energy and a consortium of PGGM and Dutch Ampère Equity Fund. Located in the Irish Sea, approximately 15 km west of Barrow-in-Furness, it consists of two wind farms - Walney 1 and Walney 2, each with a capacity of 183.6 MW.

Walney 1 is expected to be fully commissioned in the first half of 2011. Construction of Walney 2 is due to start around March and be fully commissioned by the end of 2011.