A KEY milestone has been reached in a project to create the first UK wind farm for one of the country’s largest energy suppliers off the North-East coast.

The first turbine has been installed on the Teesside offshore wind farm, which is situated 1.5km off the coast of Redcar and is being built for EDF Energy Renewables, part of the multi-national energy conglomerate EDF Group, which is one of Europe’s largest power suppliers.

Tests will be carried out on the turbine following the installation of the tower, nacelle and rotor blades, with the turbine expected to produce electricity for the first time in the coming weeks.

In total, 27 turbines, each capable of generating up to 2.3MW of power are to be erected in the 62MW scheme. Stokesley company MPI Offshore have been transporting, lifting and installing the parts for the wind farm to the off-shore site, using the 138-metre long, six leg jack vessel MPI Adventure, which has been operating out of the Port of Hartlepool.

The vessel is larger than the one which was originally ear-marked for the project, following delays in the project and the onset of inclement weather.

Work on the installation of the remaining wind turbine generators continues and is expected to be completed in spring this year.

Christian Egal, chief executive of EDF Energy Renewables, said: “The installation of the first offshore turbine on our first offshore scheme is a landmark event for the company, supporting the expansion of our onshore wind farm capacity over recent years.

“Renewable energy will continue to play a key part of the country’s energy mix going forward and the construction of this latest project demonstrates our ongoing commitment to investing in low carbon technologies. “Developing a range of diverse energy sources is crucial to addressing climate change, ensuring security of supply and providing affordable energy for all. The new Teesside offshore wind farm will make a significant contribution to all these challenges and we are delighted that electricity will soon be generated from the site.”

EDF Energy Renewables already has 21 operational onshore wind farms contributing 300MW of low carbon electricity in the UK. Including the Teesside scheme, a further 224MW of additional capacity is currently under construction.