EDF Energy Renewables (EDF ER) has secured the rights to develop the Blyth offshore wind demonstration project in Northumberland, England, UK.
The seabed rights have been acquired from the Crown Estate, while the related land rights and meteorological data were bought from the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult.
Located on the site near the port of Blyth, the wind farm will feature 15 turbines and will also house a testing area to trial new technology in realistic conditions prior to commercial operations.
The site said to be the largest approved offshore wind testing facility in the UK.
A final investment decision on building the site is expected to be made in 2015 and the project is planned to be completed by 2016 or 2017.
The Crown Estate head of offshore wind Huub Den Rooijen said: "Blyth offers an unparalleled opportunity to test new technologies capable of driving down the cost of offshore wind development and unlocking new areas of resource off our coast."
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataEDF ER CEO Christian Egal said: "We’re delighted to be getting access to a UK site which, subject to a final investment decision by our Investment Committee, could give us the opportunity to further enhance our expertise in building offshore wind farms and to test new technologies.
"Offshore projects present their own unique challenges for developers and having the opportunity to install, and operate much larger machines than we’ve done previously could give us vital experience to take to other projects around the UK and other EDF sites abroad."
EDF Energy R&D and ORE Catapult have also signed an agreement to collaborate on developing R&D projects to deal with several technology challenges facing the sector.
Image: The Blyth offshore wind project will feature 15 turbines. Photo: courtesy of The Crown Estate.
