IBERDROLA RENOVABLES STARTS WORK ON THE WEST OF DUDDON SANDS OFFSHORE WIND FARM PROJECT

• The project is being developed on a 50/50 basis with the Danish company Dong Energy

• The company has started development of its first offshore wind farm, which will have an installed capacity of 389 megawatts (MW) and requires total investment of 1.6 billion pounds
• The design phase has been completed, including the selection of wind turbines and connection to the land power grid. Construction will begin next year and the facilities are planned to be operational in 2014

 West of Duddon Sands will have a total installed capacity of 389 megawatts (MW), enough to meet the electricity needs of 300,000 British homes. It will be one of the biggest offshore facilities in the world when it begins operations within three years.

The start-up of this renewable energy infrastructure will require total investment of 1.6 billion pounds, which will be funded on a 50/50 basis by IBERDROLA RENOVABLES and Dong Energy. The facility is located 14 kilometres south-east of the cost of Barrow-in-Furness in England.

The two companies have already completed the full design of the project, including the selection of wind turbines to be installed and the decision on power connections. These will require an underwater cable and transforming station to carry the energy to the national power grid.

The construction of the wind farm will involve the use of two ships specially designed for this type of infrastructure, as they enable work to be carried out in extreme weather conditions.

Assembly will largely be in the port of Belfast, while the operations will be carried out from the port of Barrow. The construction of the offshore facility will create an estimated 500 jobs, in addition to others needed in the future for operation and maintenance.

Work is expected to begin next year on the electrical connections, while the wind turbines will be installed in 2013. The facility is planned to be operational in 2014.

Souorce: Iberdrola and Marine Renewable Energy Ltd.

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