Location of the London Array, Thames Estuary. (Image credit: LondonArray.com)

The largest offshore wind farm to be built in the Thames Estuary, dubbed London Array, is on its way. DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar, the three companies that were evaluating their investment decisions about the project, have announced they will invest EUR 2.2 billion for building the first phase of the mega project. The first phase will see some 630 MW of wind power capacity installed. Once completed, the giant wind farm will have 1 GW of wind power installed, which will make it the largest such wind farm in the world.

The recent announcement by the UK government about increased support for wind power projects made all the difference, and the three companies have concured the project is now financially viable. Construction will begin soon, and the first generated power is expected in 2012. The London Array is a flagship project in the drive to cut emissions by 80% by 2050, according to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The UK is the leader in offshore wind farm development, which is one of the reasons the country has increased support for wind power projects.

To recap, the London Array will be built about 12 miles off the coasts of Kent and Essex, on an area of about 90 square miles, in two phases. The first 630 MW phase will consist of 175 wind turbines, while the second phase will complete installed capacity to reach 1 GW.