The £4 million Blyth offshore wind farm project heralded the arrival of a new era of renewable technology. It was the first wind farm to be built in UK waters and was developed by a consortium comprising E.ON UK Renewables, Shell Renewables, Nuon UK and AMEC Wind.

Sited a mile off the Northumberland coast and commissioned in December 2000, the wind farm features turbines that, at 2MW, were, at that time, the most powerful in-place offshore anywhere in the world.

The turbines at Blyth can generate enough energy to supply over 2000 homes, saving 4520 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.

The electricity produced by the turbines is transferred via undersea cables to the National Grid transmission system inland at Blyth.

By successfully bringing this pioneering project to fruition, we demonstrated that the technology behind offshore wind farms, where turbines can be subjected to wind speeds up to 100mph, is robust. We have since used our experience at Blyth to develop other projects along the UK coast.

Community Benefits

In March 2006 Blanket Testing was carried out in Blyth in conjunction with Age Concern. Blankets that failed the test were replaced free of change -ensuring that everyone who visited left with a safe electric blanket. This programme seeks to influence older people by highlighting the importance of electric blanket safety and is as much about education and awareness as it is about the provision of free tests and replacement blankets.