UK: St. Jude Storm Could Halt London Array

The world’s largest offshore wind farm, the London Array could be affected by what is thought to be the worst storm in five years to hit Britain.

The U.K. Met Office said that this storm, named after St. Jude, would approach from the Atlantic on path across the southwest and southern Wales before moving north-eastwards across southern England reaching wind speed of more than 80mph.

Even though the wind farm’s turbines can withstand speeds above 56mph, they are programed to halt at that speed to minimise the risk of damage.

The 630MW London Array, owned by DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar, is able to cover the annual power consumption of 480,000 British households.

The wind farm is located 20km off the east coast of Britain in the Thames Estuary.

[mappress]

Offshore WIND staff, October 28, 2013; Image: london array