Danish firm DONG Energy has announced that the first of 32 wind turbines has been successfully installed at the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm in Liverpool Bay. The project is a joint partnership between DONG Energy (50%), PKA (25%) and Kirkbi A/S (25%).

At 195m, taller than the ‘Gherkin’ in London (180m), the MHI Vestas 8MW turbines are the largest in the world; moreover, this Burbo bank application is the first time they have ever been used for an offshore wind farm.

Once completed, the 258MW wind farm will generate enough electricity to power over 230,000 homes in the UK.

DONG project director Claus Bojle Moller said: “By using bigger turbines, we are able to bring down the cost of providing clean, renewable energy to homes around the UK. This positive milestone is a significant achievement for the project, and we look forward to producing more ‘green’ energy here in Liverpool Bay.

“Moreover, the 80m blades for the new 8MW turbines will also be the first locally built blades to be installed at a UK offshore wind farm, having been designed, tested and manufactured on the Isle of Wight and assembled at MHI Vestas’s pre-assembly facility in Belfast.

“The UK is a market leader in offshore wind energy, and the Burbo Bank Extension will, on completion, become DONG Energy’s ninth operational wind farm here. We are delighted to be using the first-ever offshore wind-turbine blades built in the UK for this project.

“It is not the first time DONG Energy has pioneered new technology on this site. The project is being built alongside the existing Burbo Bank offshore wind farm, which itself was an innovative project for DONG Energy, being the first offshore wind farm to use the Siemens 3.6MW turbines that are now used widely across the industry.”

About 45 full-time employees will work on both the Burbo wind farms. They will be based at a newly built operation and maintenance facility in Liverpool for the expected 25-year life-time of the wind farm.