The wind farm has been operational since 2005 and consists of 30 Vestas 3MW wind turbines, with a combined capacity of 90MW.
At the time of its construction, The Kentish Flats Wind Farm set a dual record; the wind turbines and the site itself were the largest installed in the UK.
Four export cables are installed and come ashore near Hampton Pier, Herne Bay, leading to the Red House Farm substation along the new Thanet Way.
In 2014 the turbines at Kentish Flats produced almost 250,000,000 kWh, which is equivalent to the total annual electricity needs of just under 60,000 UK households*.
The site is accessed from the local maintenance port at Whitstable, 30 minutes by boat.
(*Based on most recent Department of Energy & Climate Change statistics for average annual UK household electricity consumption of 4.192 kilowatt hours.)
Environmental Impact Assessment
An Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") was carried out to determine the effects on the local environment. The environmental monitoring met the requirements of the license and revealed limited environmental impact arising from the construction, in line with EIA's predictions.
The apparent avoidance of the operational wind farm by Red Throated Divers was further assessed through a voluntary monitoring programme implemented by Vattenfall in 2008/09.
We obtained consent to extend Kentish Flats in 2012 and continue to survey the site as part of our ongoing obligations to the area.
Almost a decade later, Kentish Flats is now an established operation with some of the most experienced offshore wind farm employees in the country. We continue to employ and train local people to work on the Operations and Maintenance side of the wind farm.
Kentish Flats sister wind farm, Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, is situated close by and operates out of Ramsgate.
Facts about Kentish Flats wind farm
|Wind turbine type (Vestas)
|Maximum installed capacity
|Expected annual output
||Up to 280,000,000 kWh
|Distance between wind turbines
|Wind farm site