The world’s second largest offshore wind farm was officially inaugurated in Wales today.
The $3.2 billion Gwynt y Môr wind farm, located eight miles off of Liverpool Bay, consists of 160 wind turbines made by Germany’s Siemens AG. It will produce enough electricity for around 400,000 residential households annually, making it the world’s second largest offshore wind energy producer.
The project has been in development since 2003, while construction has been underway since 2012. In total, the wind farm stretches over an 80 square kilometer (31 square mile) area.
Each turbine rises 492 feet above sea level and has a steel foundation weighing in at 700 tons. The turbines were installed by vessels in waters as deep as 92 feet. Additionally, contractors installed two massive offshore stations and around 83 miles of onshore cable.
