Energy firm Eon calls time on the UK’s first ever wind farm
The British renewables industry has marked a new milestone as Eon prepares to decommission the country’s first ever offshore wind farm.
The Blythe site, which at its height supplied around 2,000 homes, will be taken down in April, Eon said.
Read more: A third of UK energy to come from offshore wind by 2030
The farm was built off the coast of Northumbria in 2000 by a consortium including Eon. It has now come to the end of its lifespan.
“Wind farms typically have a lifespan of around 20-25 years, and so Blyth Offshore Wind Farm has reached the end of its time. I think we can all be proud of the role it’s played in the renewable energy industry, and its legacy for the port and waters around Blyth,” said Patrick Rainey, who is leading the project for Eon.
The company plans to use one of the farm’s two turbines for spares, while the other will be used by the Port of Blyth for training in partnership with a local college.
Rainey added: “Through Blyth, we were able to demonstrate to the watching world that the technology worked, and we’ve been able to use our experience and learning to go on to develop a further 1.5 gigawatts of wind capacity off the UK coast.”
Read more: SSE will sell stake in Scottish wind farms in £635m deal
As the British offshore industry prepares to enter its third decade, the government last week signed a deal with key stakeholders which it said will ensure a their of the UK’s energy needs will come from offshore wind.
The deal commits companies to invest £250m to develop the supply chain and increase exports countries including Japan and the US fivefold.