The world’s largest offshore wind farm is expected to go into operation on Thursday at a site 30 kilometers off the coast of Denmark. þþThe farm, called Horns Rev 2 and built by a Danish utility, Dong Energy, consists of 91 turbines made by Siemens, a German engineering company, spread over a 35-square kilometer area. þþThe farm is projected to generate 209 megawatts or enough electricity to supply 200,000 households for a year. þþAnders Eldrup, the chief executive of Dong Energy, told Green Inc. in a telephone interview on Tuesday that the project was “historic.” He said that the offshore farm “will be for some time the biggest in the world.” þþThe total cost of the project was about $1 billion, he said. þþþIn the past Danish companies have struggled to keep corrosion under control at offshore wind sites, which are significantly more expensive to build and maintain than onshore sites. þþBut Mr. Eldrup said companies like Dong Energy were determined to forge ahead with offshore wind because “Western Europe is densely populated and it’s increasingly difficult to get permission to raise mills onshore.”þþExecutives at Dong Energy told Green Inc. they had taken steps to diminish problems at the new site by carefully monitoring the way corrosion-resistant paints hold up at sea and by building accommodation for up to 24 workers so they can live on the ocean while performing on-site maintenance.þþAndris Piebalgs, the European Union energy commissioner, said Monday that a study by the European Wind Energy Association showed offshore wind could be the dominant source of employment in the sector in Europe by 2025, providing 200,000 jobs.þ
Source: NY Times
