Gwynt y Môr marks 10 years powering North Wales homes
Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm has marked 10 years of electricity generation off the North Wales coast, delivering clean power and supporting local communities.
With an installed capacity of 576 megawatts, it remains the largest renewable energy project in Wales and was the second largest offshore wind farm worldwide when it opened in June 2015.
Over the last decade, Gwynt y Môr is estimated to have generated enough electricity to power around 5.5 million typical Welsh and UK homes, or about 550,000 homes annually. It could also drive roughly 257 million electric vehicles for 400 km each, or run 205 million light bulbs continuously for a year.
The project has secured around 100 long-term skilled jobs at the Port of Mostyn, where a bespoke operations and maintenance base was built. Infrastructure improvements, including a new pontoon landing stage, have enhanced port operations.
Skills demand from Gwynt y Môr and the neighbouring Rhyl Flats wind farm helped create an award-winning wind turbine technician apprenticeship scheme at Coleg Llandrillo, now RWE’s national apprentice training hub.
Sven Utermöhlen, RWE CEO Offshore Wind, said: “A decade of operation at Gwynt y Môr is a defining moment for RWE, the region, and our passionate team. This wind farm has been at the heart of transforming North Wales into a hub of expertise for offshore wind energy and has set a blueprint for potential new projects across the UK.”
Gwynt y Môr is a joint venture between RWE (50%), Stadtwerke München GmbH (30%) and Macquarie GIG (20%). RWE developed, built, and continues to operate the 160-turbine site on behalf of its partners.
Welsh MPs Dame Nia Griffith and Becky Gittins marked the anniversary with visits to the turbines and meetings with staff and contractors.
Dame Nia Griffith said: “Gwynt y Môr shows how renewable energy projects can bring extraordinary benefits, not only by powering hundreds of thousands of homes and tackling climate change, but by strengthening communities, creating opportunities, and enhancing skills. It’s inspiring to see the ongoing contribution it makes to a more sustainable future for Wales.”
Since construction, the project has contributed more than £8.5 million to the Gwynt y Môr Community Benefit Fund, which supports a range of social projects across North Wales. The fund has backed initiatives from sports club improvements to community support programmes like Abergele Actions and Building Brighter Futures in Rhyl.
During construction, a £690,000 Tourism Fund helped deliver projects such as the Green Links Cycle Trail, connecting attractions from Prestatyn to Rhos-on-Sea and boosting regional tourism.
Looking ahead, the Community Fund will invest over £19 million over the wind farm’s operational lifetime, with spending decisions made by a panel of local people.
RWE is also developing the Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm nearby, which has approval for 50 turbines and will become Wales’s largest consented renewables project once built.
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