The London Array was officially been declared open on Friday 5th July 2013. With the 175 turbines now turning in the Thames Estuary, it has earned the title of the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron had the honour of cutting the ribbon as well as announcing the development as open. In his speech he stated that the “London Array shows you can build large-scale renewable energy projects right here in Britain.”
About the project
Covering 100 square kilometres and having the the capacity to cover the energy use of half a million UK homes. The London Array is a huge triumph for the British offshore wind industry. Also it must be a great success for the three owners, namely DONG Energy, E.On and Masdar.
The development has been under construction for four years, but did experience some planning hurdles prior to this. For example concerns were raised by Manston Airport due to the suspected clutter they would experience on their Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR).
London Array and Radar
To mitigate the offshore wind clutter effects on the PSR at Manston Airport measures were taken. Two of which were the establishment of a London Array Transponder Mandatory Zones (TMZ) and installing the C Speed LightWave Wind Turbine Mitigation Radar.
Even offshore wind farms can interfere with aviation, military and civil radar. Always check for potential planning conflicts sooner rather than later. Remember, our online tools can be used to quickly run an initial assessment on offshore wind turbines, including the Radar Line of Sight tool.
Contact Pager Power
We have worked on both onshore and offshore wind projects alike, delivering specialist technical radar, aviation and telecoms reports. If you have a related project that you wish to discuss just get in touch by email: info@pagerpower.com or phone: 01787 319001.
