On the 26th April the London Array team took part in a careers fair at Aylesford School in Kent.  The entire student body of the school had the opportunity to interact with London Array and 39 other exhibitors from a wealth of industry backgrounds. The aim of the event was to raise career aspirations and influence the next generation of skilled workers by allowing students to find out about the types of careers in a variety of different industries that they may not have been aware of.

Aylesford School said; “It is becoming more and more important that connections between industry and education becomes ever more solidified. Events such as these go a long way towards helping this to happen.”

The London Array team were on hand at the event to talk to pupils about the project and the types of jobs involved in the operation and maintenance, and skills required, to work on an offshore wind farm.

Charlotte Prett, a member of the London Array team who attended the event, said; “It was really encouraging to see so many students interested in finding out more about London Array and renewable energy.  Talking to pupils about the types of roles we have on a project like London Array will hopefully showcase the varied and exciting nature of the work that takes place and will hopefully have helped students to understand the skills and choices they might need to make to be able to enjoy a career on a major engineering project.”

In April, members of the London Array team based in Ramsgate, presented a cheque for £5,000 for Edward Prentice, Kent’s Volunteer Coordinator for Help for Heroes – a charity launched in 2007 to help those who have been wounded in Britain’s current conflicts.

Help for Heroes: Edward Prentice
London Array: John Bray Marine Coordinator – Royal Artillery, Craig Badham HSSE Engineer – Royal Horse Artillery, Jason Dickinson HSSE Enginee – Royal Horse Artillery, Gary Jefcoate HSSE Engineer – Royal Navy.

The money raised is part of a total of over £20,000 that has been donated to local charities in Kent from the construction team of the world’s largest offshore wind farm.  Jason Ledden, a member of the London Array team, who served in the Royal Marines until 1990, said; “A number of people working at London Array have served in the armed forces.  The work carried out by Help for Heroes provides direct, practical support to our wounded and we wanted to be able to support the charity as it is close to our hearts.”

Edward Prentice, Help the Heroes Volunteer Coordinator for Kent, said; “Every donation, large or small, makes a difference in some way towards our mission of delivering an enduring network of support for our wounded servicemen and their families. Thanks to London Array for supporting Help for Heroes.”

DONG Energy, appointed to operate and maintain London Array, is looking to recruit a HSE Manager to support the daily operation of the wind farm.

London Array is a joint venture between DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar. DONG Energy will operate London Array on behalf of the consortium with the successul applicant employed by DONG Energy.  The closing date for applications is 26th April 2013.

Click hereto see the job advert.

Click here to go to the DONG Energy recruitment website.

Full capacity has now been reached at the 630MW first phase of the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the London Array. The commissioning of the 175^th and final turbine happened at 16.09 on Saturday, 6 April.

The final turbine to be commissioned.

With all turbines now exporting power to the national grid, London Array is expected to produce enough green electricity to power nearly half a million homes a year.

Turbine installation was completed in December 2012; since then the project has focused on fully commissioning and putting into operation all 175 of the 3.6MW Siemens turbines by this spring.

For the full press release please click here.

At 17.49 on Thursday 7th March 2013 London Array officially became the world’s largest operational offshore wind farm.  141 of the 175 3.6MW Siemens wind turbines are now able to generate 507MW of energy for UK homes and businesses.

This is a significant achievement for everyone involved in the project which generated first power in October 2012.  The final turbine was installed in December 2012 and the project is expected to be fully operational in the Spring.

Applications now open for 2013/14

Students going to university in Autumn 2013, to study a subject related to sustainable development, science or engineering, can apply for £3,000 (1) a year from London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, towards their tuition fees.

Since September 2010, and until 2019, London Array is offering one bursary per year towards tuition fees, for a period of three years, for a student living in, or near to, the Parish of Graveny with Goodnestone (2) where London Array has built a new onshore substation at Cleve Hill, near Graveney.

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here for more information on the bursary scheme and to download an application form.

(1) £3,000 per year, index linked for three years.  The amount for the 2012/13 academic year was £3,320. The 2013/14 amount will be based on September 2013 RPI.

(2) Applications are being invited for the 2013/14 academic year from students who have lived in the parish for a period of three consecutive years, or attend a school within a 15 mile radius of the Parish of Graveney with Goodnestone and who are intending to study a university subject related to sustainable development, science or engineering.

Jason Dickinson and Craig Badham, HSSE Engineers at London Array, put on their running shoes to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK by completing the Deal Half Marathon.

Jason Dickinson and Craig Badham, HSSE Engineers at London Array raise over £2,000.

Jason said: ” Prostate CancerUK helps and supports men survive prostate cancer and enjoy a better quality of life.  It also funds research and raises awareness of prostate cancer – the most common form of cancer in men in the UK.  Following London Array’s support of the Movember campaign last year we wanted to do something else to raise money for this charity.”

Jason and Craig completed the half marathon, which took place on Sunday 10th February, two hours ten seconds.

Craig said: “The conditions on the day weren’t great – we ran in rain, hail and wind but were spurred on by the amount people had pledged in sponsorship.”

Two vessels working on London Array were first on the scene yesterday morning (Thursday 21 February) when a yacht declared ‘Mayday’ after taking on water at the eastern exit to the Fisherman’s Gat, south of the London Array site.

The London Array guard vessel, Mary Ann 1, and crew transfer vessel, Cwind Astute, responded and assisted Dover Coastguard, who were coordinating the Search and Rescue response and who issued a ‘Mayday Relay’ broadcast.

John Bray, Marine Coordinator at London Array, said: “We’ve worked, and continue to work, closely with the local coastguard throughout the construction of the wind farm.  We have numerous vessels working onsite and the MaryAnn 1 and Cwind Astute were the first on the scene yesterday.  They stood by the yacht, which had three people on board, until the Margate Lifeboat arrived and took the yacht under tow to Ramsgate.”

Local residents and communities have the unique opportunity to help piece together the fascinating story of how Swale was defended in the 20th century thanks to a new project, managed and co-ordinated by Kent County Council and funded by London Array.

Swale played a key role in the defence of the nation in both world wars and was strategically important in the years before and after.  The remains of coastal defences, the naval dockyard at Sheerness, stop lines and pillboxes, gun positions, decoy sites and air-raid shelters are just a few of the numerous remains that survive in the area, many of which are currently unrecorded.

Barrie Englishby, Production Manager at London Array, said: “Swale was very much on the frontline during the 20th century – and we saw evidence of that during the construction of our onshore electricity substation at Graveney, near Faversham.  We are pleased to be able to support Kent County Council and the local community in uncovering this proud military heritage.”

Local community history groups, museums and researched gathered together on Saturday 16th February at the UK Paper Leisure Club in Sittingbourne to hear about the project and how they could get involved.  The response from the groups was overwhelming, but the project team is still looking for volunteers to help them map the crucial history and piece together the puzzle.

Anyone interested in helping out, whether it be helping with the research, taking part in activities or even sharing their stories, should contact Simon Mason on 01622 221539 or email simon.mason@kent.gov.uk.

As well as the research there should be plenty of opportunities to see the results of the work and participate in activities through the course of the project, which aims to be completed in 2014 to coincide with the Great War centenary.  Already research is uncovering fascinating detailed information about the defences of Sheppey at that time.  The final discoveries will be available for download from the web to help further local research, for schools to use in their curriculum activities, and for anyone who is interested in the district’s history.

Last summer, London Array employee, Jason Ledden saved two eight year old boys who were in trouble in the sea in Ramsgate.  His quick thinking, fast responses and training as a medic saved the boys who were in trouble.

David Farrier, Renewable UK Board Member with Jason after receiving his commendation.

On the 31st January 2013, Jason was awarded a Special Health and Safety Commendation by Maria McCaffrey, Chief Executive of Renewable UK, the industry trade association at their annual Health and Safety Conference and Exhibition.  The award was in recognition, on behalf of the industry for Jason’s actions as an example to others.