Our operations

Lynn and Inner Dowsing are two adjacent wind farms acquired by Centrica in December 2003, which have been built 5km off the Lincolnshire coast, east of Skegness. Together, they have an installed capacity of 194MW and are expected to provide enough power to meet the annual demand of more than 130,000 homes. They will also significantly reduce the CO₂ emissions, which would otherwise be generated from traditional power stations using fossil fuels.

During the latter part of 2005 Centrica issued details of the project so that potential contractors could express their interest. The construction work was split into several key elements, including the onshore substation and cabling, offshore foundations and cabling, and the turbine supply and installation, for example.

During the first half of 2006, Centrica prepared tendering documentation and evaluated the tender responses it had received. Some contracts were awarded during the latter half of 2006, with final contracts put in place in February 2007.

The initial onshore civil works began in November 2006 and the major road works related to this were completed in Spring 2007. Exhibitions and newsletters helped to keep local residents informed before and during the work. A new substation was constructed on land off Middlemarsh Road in Skegness.

The installation of offshore foundations was completed in 2007 and cables, which link the turbines and export the generated power to shore, were all installed by summer 2008. Turbine installation was also completed in the summer of 2008 with commissioning of individual turbines ongoing throughout this work. Generation of power from the first turbines on Lynn and delivery to the national grid was achieved in May 2008.

Major construction work was completed with the installation of the last turbine in July 2008, and generation capacity from the wind farms was increased progressively as individual turbines were commissioned. Full generation was achieved in March 2009 when all commissioning work was completed. Other works mark the completion of the project, include the use of concrete mattresses to protect the cable ends close to the turbine foundations.

In 2009 Centrica announces the sale of a 50% equity stake in the Lynn and Inner Dowsing and Glens of Foudland wind farms to US based investment management company, TCW.

All power generated by the wind farms continues to be supplied to Centrica’s British Gas operations.

Each of the two wind farms consists of 27 3.6 MW turbines. Power is transmitted via subsea cables to shore and then by underground cables to the new substation at Middlemarsh, Skegness.

Throughout the planning and construction, public exhibitions have been held regularly in the Lincolnshire and north Norfolk areas. Information about the construction process can be found in the project development section.