The two companies, which are to jointly develop the West of Duddon Sands wind farm, will be awarding further contracts in relation to the project this year.
The West of Duddon Sands project will be located 14km southwest of the Barrow-in-Furness coastline, with work commencing in early 2012, initially with construction of the required onshore connections. Foundations for the turbines will be laid in early summer 2013 and the project is expected to be fully completed in 2014.
The total cost of the project, including construction of offshore transmission assets, is put at £1.6bn, although once the wind farm goes into operation, the transmission assets will be sold to an offshore transmission operator and the corresponding costs will be returned.
The Siemens turbines will have 120m rotors and will stand 146m high to blade tip from mean sea level. They will have a five-year guarantee under a warranty agreement signed with Siemens.
The partners have also commissioned two purpose-built installation vessels to be used in the construction of the project, allowing work to be undertaken in all seasonal conditions.
In a related move, Iberdrola Renewables and Areva have formed a strategic partnership that will see the pair bid for new French offshore wind projects, following the French government’s announcement of a plan to reach a 6GW target by 2020. The partners will compete for two of the country’s five offshore zones offered in a first phase of bidding.
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