Rhyl Flats gets under way

23 July 2007

Construction is set to start at Rhyl Flats, a new offshore wind farm located between Abergele and Rhos-on-Sea in North Wales. When completed Rhyl Flats will consist of 25 wind turbines generating 90 megawatts (MW) of electricity. It's expected to supply 61,000 homes and will prevent the release of some 250,000 tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere every year. Over 150 people will work on the construction phase between 2007 and 2009, with a further 12 jobs being created to operate and maintain the wind farm once it is up and running.

Offshore foundation construction starts this month with installation of the scour protection. This work, which will take about two months to complete, involves the laying of rocks on the seabed at the turbine locations. The rocks, which have been sourced from the Penrhyn Slate Quarry near Bangor, Gwynedd, will prevent seabed erosion around the turbine foundations. Installation of the foundation piles themselves starts in April 2008, and marks the beginning of the main offshore works period. The first turbines are expected to start generating in November 2008,and the whole site should be online by July 2009.

Kevin McCullough, managing director of npower renewables, who will develop and operate Rhyl Flats said, "As a company we are committed to delivering clean, renewable power projects in Wales and throughout the rest of the UK, whilst also ensuring that local communities are informed and involved with our activities. The Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm will make a significant contribution towards the Welsh Assembly Government target to produce 4 terrawatt hours (TWh) 5 per year from renewable energy sources within Wales by 2010, a figure which mirrors the UK national target of 10 per cent of electrical power from renewables by the same year.".

He added, "We will ensure that as construction of the wind farm progresses we keep local people informed of the activities that are taking place and what is involved. We recognise that some people may have concerns and that others are simply interested in what is happening at various stages of the works, as such we are keen to ensure that the relevant information is made available at the appropriate times and that people have the opportunity to contact us should they wish to do so."

Anyone with comments or queries about the project can email rhylflats@npower-renewables.com or telephone Judith Roberts on 0151 648 0896.