Barrow Offshore Wind Farm: A Foundation of the UK’s Renewable Energy Revolution

Wind energy in the UK forms 30% of current energy production. Yet in 2006 it only accounted for 1%. In an aim to reach its target of 15% renewable energy by 2015, more wind farms were needed. Barrow wind farm was part of this Round 1 phase of wind turbines commissioned to help the UK reach its sustainability goals.

Developed initially by Warrick Energy Limited with construction beginning in 2005, it had a proposed power production of 108 MW. The estimated construction cost was 100 million GBP, although its actual cost was 123 million pounds. It was funded with a 60-million-pound investment from the European Investment Bank, 10 million from a UK government grant, and the remainder from private investment. The building of the wind farm was initially a joint venture between Centrica and Danish Oil and Natural Gas before Centrica cut its share and sold it to Orsted for 50 million pounds as part of plans to cut its exposure to the wind market.

With a planned power output of 108 MW, the actual power output was 90 MW, (enough to power 800,000 homes.) This power was generated by 30 turbines staggered in four rows 750 m apart with 7–8 turbines per row. Each turbine was 75 m high and had 100 m diameter blades. However, by themselves these turbines would have been useless. To transfer the energy to Barrow in mainland England, a custom substation was built by Areva T&D. This was a crucial piece of technology that stepped the voltage up from 33 kV to 132 kV and in turn reduced the current by the same factor, minimising the power lost over the 26 km journey to shore. This substation took six months to build. Once the cable reached the shore, it travelled 3 km underground to a substation jointly owned by United Utilities and Barrow Offshore Energy.

Not only did the wind farm pave the way for more offshore wind farms in the area, Walney 1, Walney 2, and Walney Expansion, it also provided countless jobs in the area. Seventy-five jobs were created in operations, logistics, safety and compliance, and technical and engineering support. All these jobs were located in Barrow. In addition, the wind farm supported apprenticeships in Furness College, helping the local community.

The wind farm contributed to national renewable targets, and by 2015 the UK had 24.7% renewable energy, exceeding its 15% target by 9%.

Looking to the future, wind farms will play a crucial role in the UK’s green energy plans, and the wind farm at Barrow paved the way for this. Bigger, more efficient wind turbines, and even wooden wind turbines, designed to avoid the environmental impact of fiberglass, are now being developed. For the UK, Barrow will always be remembered as a project that was part of the beginning of the sustainable revolution.