Offshore 110kV substation

London Array is the largest offshore wind project in the world, located on the Thames Estuary in the United Kingdom, about 20 km from the beaches of Kent and Essex.

This energy substation is situated in an area covering 230 km², approximately 17.7 miles north of the peninsula on the Kent coast. The project began its implementation in March 2011. This wind farm will have the capacity to generate 630 MW of electricity.

In its first phase, London Array will consist of 175 turbines along with 2 offshore substations. These components will be built on cylindrical structures embedded in the seabed and connected by 210 km of underground power cables. The entire system will be linked to an onshore substation near Graveney, where the electricity from the turbines is transformed at the substation and then transmitted to the mainland via high-voltage submarine cables.

(London Array Offshore Substation. Photo: Siemens)

Meanwhile, a Dutch company is planning to build a gigantic wind farm on the Dogger Bank in the North Sea. This wind farm will include an artificial island featuring a runway, port, and other facilities. The project is slated to be operational by 2027 with a capacity of 30,000 megawatts. The wind turbines will generate alternating current, which will be transmitted via cables to the island. On the island, conversion equipment will change the alternating current—used in the grid but causing significant energy losses over long distances—into direct current. After the electricity is transmitted to the mainland, the direct current will be converted back into alternating current before being fed into the power grid.

London Array (currently the largest offshore wind farm in the world with 630 megawatts) is expected to pave the way for the 30,000-megawatt Dogger Bank project in the future.