World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Comes Online

Offshore wind turbines at a different U.K. facility, the Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm off shore wind farm in the mouth of the River Mersey on May 12, 2008 in Liverpool, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The world’s largest offshore wind farm went operational on Thursday off the coast of Cumbria in the U.K.

The utility, SSE, confirmed that all 102 turbines at the Walney project are working and providing energy to the power grid.

“Walney is a great example of how much offshore wind has matured as an industry in a relatively short time, and will provide a significant contribution to the U.K. government’s CO2 reduction targets and fuel security ambitions,” Jim Smith, the manager of SSE’s renewables department, said in a statement.

The move comes as a new report came out on Thursday saying that the costs wind power generation could decrease by about a third, making this form of energy more viable in the U.K., according to The Guardian.

The hight cost of offshore wind power has been a major argument against wider adoption of the technology.

Charles Hendry, minister of state for energy, said lowering costs is a must for the industry.

“Offshore wind will be a vital part of a diverse and secure low-carbon energy mix in the decades ahead—but we are clear that costs must come down,” he was quoted by the newspaper as saying.