London Array’s second full year of generation has seen output from the offshore wind farm pass the 5TWh mark.
The wind farm became fully operational in April 2013, having first started exporting power in October 2012. Output to date now amounts to electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of some 1.2m UK households. Over the same period, it has also prevented the release of 2,150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Jonathan Duffy, General Manager of London Array , said: “As the largest operational offshore wind farm in the world, London Array is making a substantial contribution to helping the UK meet its renewable energy targets as well as supplying a new, domestic source of power.
“However, although the scale of the wind farm is important, so is its performance. Intelligent, targeted maintenance is key to ensuring the turbines are available to capitalise on the wind and to produce power efficiently.
“Our team of technicians has managed to keep average availability at well over 95 per cent, which is an admirable achievement.”
Other highlights over the two years since London Array became fully operational include a formal inauguration by Prime Minister David Cameron, achieving 1.5TWh during the first full winter of generation, returning £459m to shareholders from the sale of its transmission assets, and appearing as NASA’s Image of the Day.