Gwynt y Môr: Britain's world-leading offshore wind farm takes shape

With 160 offshore turbines of 3·6 MW class operating in a total site area of 79 km at a planned capacity of 576 MW, the Gwynt y Môr site, off the north Wales coast, is expected to generate an average annual energy equivalent to the domestic needs of around 400 000 average UK households. This scale makes Gwynt y Môr of national strategic importance in terms of renewable energy generation, maintaining energy security, meeting carbon dioxide reduction commitments and mitigating climate change. On a project of such scale and significance the planning, supply, project management and engineering challenges are quite exceptional. The offshore wind industry is relatively new, and the technology is advancing fast.