First UK Offshore Wind Project Retires

E.ON is set to decommission the two-turbine Blyth offshore wind project, the first wind farm built in UK waters.

The work is expected to begin in April and take place for some four to six weeks off the Northumberland coast, E.ON said.

According to the company’s Offshore Technical Specialist, Patrick Rainey, wind farms usually have a lifespan of 20-25 years and Blyth has reached the end of its time.

The company expects to make use of local suppliers for as much of the work as possible, including waste disposal and crew transfer vessels (CTVs).

One turbine is expected to be recycled and reused for spare parts within E.ON’s onshore project, with the other to be used by the Port of Blyth for training purposes.

“Blyth Offshore Wind Farm holds a special significance for us all at E.ON as our – and the UK’s – first offshore development. 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 1.5GW of wind capacity off the UK coast,” said Rainey.

“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.”

Parties interested in finding out more about the decommissioning are free to join E.ON’s project team at a public information event on 20 March at the Port Training Services between 3 and 8 p.m. local time.

The Blyth offshore wind project was developed by a consortium comprising E.ON UK Renewables, Shell Renewables, Nuon UK and AMEC Wind.

The 4MW project features two 2MW turbines commissioned in December 2000, which were at that time the most powerful units, E.ON said.