London Array, a proposed offshore wind farm, applied for its various planning consents and licences in June 2005. This followed the completion of extensive environmental studies which began as far back as 2001. The wind farm would be built more than 20km (12 miles) off the Kent and Essex coasts, in the outer Thames Estuary. A map of the location is available for download.

A consortium called London Array Limited is developing the project. The company comprises the following three partners: Shell WindEnergy, E.ON and DONG Energy. Between them, these partners have a wealth of experience in developing offshore wind projects. See the About Us section for more information.

Key elements of the London Array project are:
• Up to 341 turbines, installed over a four year period
• Associated offshore and onshore substations
• Cabling (between turbines and to shore)

The wind farm would be constructed in phases, and when fully complete would generate up to 1,000 MW of electricity. This is enough to meet the electricity needs of 750,000 homes – around a quarter of Greater London or all of the homes in Kent and East Sussex.

The project would contribute significantly to the Government’s target for renewable energy – providing around 10% of their target for 2010. It would also avoid the emission of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide over its life compared to a fossil fuel power station producing the same amount of electricity.