Danish utility, Dong Energy's offshore wind farm, Horns Rev 2, is all set to go on stream on Thursday at a site 30 kilometers off the coast of Denmark. The 91- turbine wind farm billed as the largest such facility in the world is projected to generate 209 megawatts, enough to power 200,000 households for a year.

Chief executive Dong Energy, Anders Eldrup, told Green Inc that the project was historic and added that the offshore farm would remain the biggest in world for some time.
He added the project cost was about $1 billion.

Offshore projects have been plagued by the problem of corrosion, which has proved to be difficult to be keep under control and the fact that offshore wind sites are more expensive to build and maintain that onshore sites only adds to the problem.

But according to Eldrup, utilities like Dong Energy are determined to push offshore wind generation as Western Europe being densely populated it was getting increasingly difficult to get permission to set up projects on shore.

According to Andris Piebalgs, the European Union energy commissioner a study by the European Wind Energy Association has shown that offshore wind could emerge as the dominant source of employment in the sector in Europe by 2025, providing 200,000 jobs.

New research findings have revealed from studies conducted by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) have shown that the existing and planned European offshore wind projects could potentially supply 10 per cent of Europe's electricity.

According to Arhuros Zervos, president of EWEA, there was a huge developer interest in offshore wind power and the scale of the planned projects is far greater than most people realise.

Minister Maud Olofsson agrees. The resource is there and the developers are ready provided governments are ready to play their part, Europe's energy future could be revolutionised.

Announcing the news of the Dong Energy project at its offshore wind even in Stockholm, Sweden this week, EWEA also unveiled a 20-year plan for offshore network development to governments and EU officials.

The group says the scheme offers a comprehensive approach towards the construction of a transnational offshore power grid. It builds on the 11 grids already in place and the 21 under study by grid operators in the North and Baltic Seas, the study proposes eight additional offshore grids by 2020 and six more by 2030.

According to Christaion Kjare, chief exeutive of EWEA, the organisation's new offshore network plan would provide a truly pan-European electricity super highway which would bring affordable electricity to consumers, reduce the dependence on imports, cut CO2 emissions and allow Europe to access its largest domestic energy source - offshore wind.

In another development, another European wind power firm, A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd has concluded a deal for development of a wind farm in Inner Mongolia for Jihe Orient Wind Energy Co.

A-Power said its scope of work under the contract includes supply of wind turbines, towers and foundations and oversight of the construction, subcontracting and installation for the 49.5 megawatt wind farm.

The project is due to start early October and will be completed by June 2010 according to the company's statement.