Barrow Offshore Wind Farm marks 20 years of powering the UK with renewable energy

Barrow Offshore Wind Farm is celebrating 20 years of generating renewable, home-grown electricity for the UK, marking two decades of operation that have helped demonstrate the long-term potential of ...

Ørsted’s Barrow Offshore Wind Farm is celebrating 20 years of generating renewable, home-grown electricity for the UK, marking two decades of operation that have helped demonstrate the long-term potential of offshore wind.

The milestone also marks the 20th anniversary of Ørsted generating power in the UK.

In that time, Ørsted wind farms have produced more than 180 TWh of affordable, renewable, home-grown electricity – enough to power the entire London Underground network for almost 150 years.

Located 7 km south-west of Walney Island in the East Irish Sea, Barrow was one of the UK’s first commercial offshore wind farms.

Its 30 wind turbines have a combined generating capacity of 90 MW and began commercial operation in 2006.

Twenty years later, the offshore wind industry has transformed beyond recognition.

What was once an emerging technology has become a major part of the UK’s electricity system, with offshore wind generating 18 % of the UK’s electricity in 2025.

Barrow has been at the heart of that transformation.

It was the first UK offshore wind project for what was then DONG Energy – now Ørsted – and helped establish the company's presence in the UK and its long-term commitment to offshore wind.

The project has also played an important role in the development of the offshore wind industry in Cumbria.

Ørsted's West Coast hub in Barrow-in-Furness has developed into a center of excellence for offshore wind operations, with a workforce predominantly drawn from the local area and colleagues from across Ørsted’s global portfolio coming to Barrow to develop and share expertise.

The anniversary is therefore not only a celebration of the wind farm itself, but of the people, skills, and local expertise that have kept it generating electricity safely and reliably for two decades.

“Twenty years ago, Barrow was part of a pioneering generation of offshore wind projects that showed what could be achieved by taking turbines out to sea and harnessing the UK's abundant wind resource.

“Today, offshore wind is a fundamental part of the UK's energy system, but Barrow remains special to us.

It was Ørsted's first UK project and has been the foundation for two decades of learning, innovation, and operational excellence.

“Most importantly, this anniversary is about the people.

Generating electricity for 20 years in an offshore environment takes highly skilled teams, a relentless focus on safety, and an enormous amount of dedication.

Many of the skills and expertise developed here in Barrow have gone on to support offshore wind projects in the UK and around the world.