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Take a look at the site
of what will be the world's largest wind farm.

by Martin Jefferies

mjefferies@thekmgroup.co.uk

An incredible feat of engineering is under way 12 kilometres
off the Thanet coastline, as the world’s largest wind farm begins
to take shape.

The Isle of Thanet Extra was given a first glimpse of Thanet
Offshore Wind Farm by owners Vattenfall last week.

The huge project will eventually feature 100 wind turbines and
provide enough electricity to power some 240,000 homes.

Although the turbine 'towers’ and the blades will not be installed
until December, a third of the 'monopiles’ - the steel foundations
which are driven up to 20 metres into the seabed and extend just
one metre above the water level - have already been
installed.

Yellow 'transition pieces’ which join the foundations and steel
towers together have been fitted to eight monopiles. The remaining
24 currently sport brightly-coloured navigation aids to prevent
ships running into them.

Ole Bigum Nielsen, project director of Thanet Offshore Wind Farm,
said: “People have woken up to the fact that wind power is needed
to guarantee electricity in a clean, sustainable world.

“But it’s no use simply installing one or two turbines; to really
make a difference you have to build wind farms on a much larger
scale.”

The Thanet project should be completed by October 2010 and is one
of three wind farms built or proposed locally. Kentish Flats is
already producing electricity in the Thames Estuary, while the
London Array - a massive scheme planned for the North Thanet coast
- is expected to generate power from 2012.

For full story, see the Thanet Extra, out on Wednesday June
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