Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm is a 25 turbine
wind farm
A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...
approximately 8 km north east of
Llandudno
Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 UK census, the community â ...
in
North Wales
North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...
. It is
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
' second offshore wind farm and the third offshore wind farm to be built within
Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence. Liverpool Bay has historically suffered from redu ...
. It has a maximum rated output of 90
MW.
Construction
The Rhyl Flats project was initially developed by Celtic Offshore Wind Limited (COWL) as part of the UK's Round 1 offshore wind farm programme. COWL received consent for the project in 2002, and in December 2002 the project was purchased by
Npower Renewables (formerly National Wind Power and now a part of
Innogy, a subsidiary of the German firm
RWE), who were also developing the neighbouring
North Hoyle and
Gwynt y MĂ´r offshore wind farms. Offshore construction work at Rhyl Flats began in July 2007. Foundation works was completed in August 2008. The completed project was officially opened on 2 December 2009.
North Hoyle was completed in 2003, just a few kilometres east of Rhyl Flats. The Round 1 projects were intended to act as testbeds; building the UK's understanding of offshore wind, whilst in total also providing well over 1000 MW of green generating capacity for the UK. All of the Round 1 offshore wind farms were limited to a maximum area of , and no more than 30 wind turbines.
The project uses three export cables.
Output
The first electricity was supplied by the site on 15 July 2009. The project consists of 25
Siemens Wind Power
Siemens AG ( ) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It is focused on Industrial control system, industrial automation, Building automation , building automation, rail transport a ...
SWT-107-3.6
wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...
s, each rated at 3.6 MW capacity. This gives the project a maximum output of 90 MW; a third greater than the neighbouring
North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, but with five fewer wind turbines and spread over a smaller area. At the time of installation, Rhyl Flats is expected to generate enough
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
to power 60,000 homes on average.
Its
levelised cost has been estimated at ÂŁ126/MWh.
See also
*
Wind power in the United Kingdom
*
List of offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom
This is a list of offshore wind farms within the national maritime boundary, maritime boundaries of the United Kingdom.
In April 2025 the nameplate capacity of offshore wind farms in operation was approximately 16 GW, with a further 8 GW under con ...
*
List of offshore wind farms
This article lists the largest offshore wind farms that are currently operational rated by nameplate capacity. It also lists the largest offshore wind farms currently under construction, the largest proposed offshore wind farms, and offshore ...
*
List of offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea
References
External links
Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farmat npower Renewables
at The Crown Estate
LORC Knowledge - Datasheet for Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm
{{RWE
Offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea
Wind farms in Wales
Buildings and structures in Conwy County Borough
RWE
Round 1 offshore wind farms
2009 establishments in Wales
Energy infrastructure completed in 2009