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Wales opens mega offshore wind farm

RWE aims to take lead in European wind power market.

By Daniel J. Graeber
Welsh first minister on hand for inauguration of offshore wind farm, which German energy company RWE says will put it in a leadership position in the offshore market. Photo courtesy of RWE.
Welsh first minister on hand for inauguration of offshore wind farm, which German energy company RWE says will put it in a leadership position in the offshore market. Photo courtesy of RWE.

CARDIFF, Wales, June 18 (UPI) -- With Wednesday's inauguration of a Welsh wind farm, German energy company RWE said it's positioned to be one of the largest wind energy providers in the world.

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones was on hand for the inauguration of the Gwynt y Mor wind farm, the second largest installation of its kinds with 160 turbines.

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"Local companies have been among those to benefit during construction and the site will bring high quality employment and opportunities for years to come," he said in a statement.

The wind farm will have a peak operational capacity of 576 megawatts, which RWE says will be enough to meet the energy demands of about 30 percent of the homes in Wales.

The $3.3 billion wind farm facility features two offshore substations and at least six miles of cables. For RWE, the inauguration represents a significant milestone.

"At the end of this year, 40 percent of our power generation from renewables will already come from offshore power production," the company's chief executive officer, Hans Bunting, said. "Due to this increase in offshore capacity our operating result will see double-digit growth."

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With Nordsee Ost, a 48-turbine wind farm off the northern German coast inaugurated in May, the German company said it's on pace to becomes the third largest offshore wind energy company servicing the European market.

Wind energy, the company said, is at the forefront of a $1.1 billion investment agenda.

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